Silver Flame Series
by Cynthia and Kahva
Summary: From another universe there comes history and power that began with the Rangers' long-ago ancestors, and which continue with the present-day Rangers, and two newcomers from a world much like our own.
1. Silver Rising

Welcome to the world of the Silver Flame. Before you get to reading, we'd like to have a word with you. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Now, let's begin.

This story is old. It's probably older than most fanfics you've ever read, as the earliest sighting I've been able to track down for it was back in 1997, and I'm fairly certain it was begun in 1996. In fact, this was one of the first fanfics that I (Cynthia) ever wrote. It has a very special place in my heart for that reason.

Because of the age, our writing styles have changed as we've gained more experience, and the way this is written is not how we would write it today. But the story we began will be finished. We're aware that our original characters have very strong Mary Sue traits, and by the standards of most fanfic writing today, they more than likely **are** Mary Sues. We don't ask that you overlook this. We aren't. We just ask that you acknowledge we already know.

As I said, this story will be finished. There will also be a rewrite, which will be posted up under my own name of Higuchimon. It will be vastly different, utilizing only the basic plot, and will come under a new name, with some different romances, and some the same. No specific release date for this is known, or even considered, nor do we have any hints of when new chapters for the original version will be posted. We'll do it when we can do it. We both have other commitments. As a hint, however, feedback can vastly help the creative process. It won't shove it to the forefront, but it can help, perhaps giving a spark at just the right moment.

We hope that you enjoy this series, and feel free to let us know what you think, even if you hate it. Any feedback we can use to improve ourselves will be seriously considered and used to whatever extent is possible. Do note that any random flameage will be removed if possible. We do not consider pointing out plotholes, incosistencies, bad characterization, or anything else to be random flameage. "U suk, it should be (other couple we didn't write)" and things of that nature are what we consider random flames. We might not agree with what you say, but we'll think about it anyway.

So now that we've bored you (or you read this, whichever)...go on to the series, and we hope you enjoy yourselves, either by laughing at it, or liking it. We're not particular.

**Legal Disclaimer:** We don't own any characters who appeared on any version of Power Rangers, now or ever. We did invent certain original characters, though, and I guess we could be said to own them, but that's only one way of looking at it.  
**Note:** Yes, just in case you missed it, we know that some of the OCs have strong Mary Sue tendancies. If this displeases you, you're more than welcome to hit the 'back' button. If you want to read on, be our guest, but telling us they have Sue traits or are just plain flaming Mary Sues is just going to get you a rousing round of 'well, duh! We told you so!'. Just so you know.

**Series Title:** Silver Flame  
**Chapter Title:** Silver Rising  
**Romances:** Um. You're going to have to find this one out as you go along. We'd rather not spoil the fun so soon.  
**Other:** Sue traits ahead. This is your last warning.

* * *

_The multiverse. The myriad of universes, the endless expanse of creation that exists touching our world, but yet are not our world. In some of those universes, nothing even resembling life as we understand it exists. In others, it is very close to what we have. _

In still others, what we consider dreams and fantasy, the fabric of imagination, is reality itself. In those worlds, huge lions create worlds by song, while fierce Valkyries choose the noble dead from great battles in others. Sometimes those worlds touch our imagination in some unknown fashion, giving rise to the great visionaries of our worlds.

What would happen it someone could travel between those worlds, could see all the things they had only dreamed of in real and vibrant life? The forces of evil would attempt to control them... the forces of good would protect them... and the most powerful force of them all... the power of love... would sustain them. These are the stories of those who can travel the endless universes... and of those who seek to control them... to protect them... and to love them. They are tales of life and love, joy and fear, hate and madness... these are the Tales of the Silver Flame.

_

OUR STORY BEGINS...

_

She turned away from the window, blinking back tears once more. It was the anniversary: a year ago today she'd landed in this world. A world where her greatest dreams were realized: the Power Rangers were real. What a joke on her the universe had played! Her favorite TV show in her world: grim reality here. She could have spoken with them... with _him_, but she had quickly realized that was a fast road to ruin. Anyone who got too near them was abducted, turned into a monster, brainwashed... the list was endless. She liked to watch things like that, but experiencing them was another matter altogether.

She sat down and picked up the wood-framed picture next to her desk. A tear dropped onto it that she quickly brushed away. "I miss you all so much," she murmured.

The picture showed four girls and three boys, their arms all about one another. She whispered their names to herself as she touched each one. "Cindy. Jaycynda. Ann. Melissa. Josh. Kenny. Todd." A wave of homesickness washed over her. "I want to go home."

* * *

Billy stared into his drink, thinking as usual. Today, however, his thoughts didn't revolve around the latest developments in technology, or what Mondo might be up to, or any of the usual thoughts that occupied the former Ranger. Today he was thinking about her. He couldn't remember when he hadn't dreamed about her every night. The dreams were always different, except for the fact she was always in all of them, and they were always together. He wondered sometimes if she were real. But she couldn't be. It was only a dream, and he knew dreams weren't real.

But sometimes the dreams were so vivid, so lifelike, he couldn't help but wake up thinking all he would have to do was reach out and she would be there, warm and alive and loving.

Love. He didn't want to think of how his friends would laugh at him if they knew he was in love with a figment of his imagination. He'd dated lots of girls, but none of them had held a tenth of the fascination for him that this mysterious woman in his dreams did.

"Hey, Billy." It was Rocky. "What are you so deep in thought about?"

"Not much," He'd never let on to anyone about his dreams, not even to Adam, his best friend. "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to do some sparring," Rocky offered. Billy nodded, he needed to get his mind off that beautiful face anyway. He started for the practice mat, only to be interrupted by the beep of their communicators. Almost as one, the seven teens headed for the hallway and privacy.

"What is it, Zordon?" Tommy whispered when they were out of sight. "What's King Mondo up to this time?"

IT IS NOT MONDO, BUT AN EVENT THAT I HAVE AWAITED FOR FIFTEEN THOUSAND YEARS HAS FINALLY HAPPENED. REPORT TO THE POWER CHAMBER AT ONCE.

"We're on the way." Tommy looked over at Tanya. "Are we clear?"

The Yellow Ranger glanced around, no one was near enough to see them. "We're clear."

Seven spirals of color disappeared from the Juice Bar and reappeared a moment later in their underground headquarters, the Power Chamber. Billy stepped forward. "What's going on, Zordon?"

FIFTEEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO, ON MY HOMEWORLD OF ELTAR, THERE WERE SEVEN GREAT WARRIORS FOR GOOD, THE FIRST POWER RANGERS, WHO WERE ALSO YOUR DIRECT ANCESTORS. MASTER VILE CAPTURED SIX OF THEM DURING A BATTLE, AND ONLY THEIR LEADER WAS LEFT TO RESCUE THEM.

"Who was he?"

_SHE_ WAS THE SILVER RANGER. Zordon corrected Rocky. THE MOST POWERFUL RANGER EVER AND LEADER OF THE FIRST POWER RANGERS. OBSERVE THE VIEWING GLOBE.

In the globe, they saw the image of a woman in the Power Ranger uniform, in the Zeo style. On her helmet, instead of a geometric symbol like theirs, was a snarling cheetah's image, etched in black. From the top of her helmet to the heels of her boots, everything gleamed silvery, including the cheetah-headed sword by her side. The uniform faded away, showing a woman dressed in ancient and unfamiliar clothing. Billy managed to conceal his surprise, she looked almost precisely like the woman he'd dreamed of for years! There was some indefinable difference though, something he couldn't think of that told him they weren't the same person.

THAT IS KAHVA KILANYE, THE SILVER RANGER. SHE WENT INTO THE GREATEST OF PERIL TO RESCUE HER FRIENDS AND FELLOW RANGERS. THE PRICE OF THEIR FREEDOM, HOWEVER, WAS HER OWN CAPTURE. SHE HAD BEEN INJURED GREATLY DURING THE BATTLE TO RELEASE HER FRIENDS, AND KNEW SHE WOULD NOT SURVIVE LONG, EVEN WITH A RANGER'S ACCELERATED HEALING. REFUSING TO LET HER POWERS FALL INTO EVIL HANDS, SHE USED HER LAST MOMENTS AND ALL OF HER REMAINING STRENGTH TO SEND HER SILVER CRYSTAL, WHICH CONTAINED HER POWERS, INTO THE FUTURE. HER LAST MESSAGE WAS THAT WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT, A NEW SILVER RANGER WOULD EMERGE. Zordon fell silent for a moment. TODAY I DISCOVERED KAHVA KILANYE'S DESCENDENT AND HEIR: THE NEW SILVER RANGER.

They stood in shock at the history, and at the fact that a new Ranger was about to join their team. "Who is she, Zordon? Where is she?" Unspoken in Tommy's question was their mutual hope that it would be Kimberly, Aisha, or Trini, someone they knew and loved.

I DO NOT KNOW HER FULL IDENTITY OR LOCATION AS OF YET. WHEN ALPHA DID ONE OF OUR PERIODIC SWEEPS OF THE PLANET, CHECKING FOR ANY NEW THREAT BY MONDO, WE DISCOVERED AN ENERGY SIGNATURE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO KAHVA KILANYE'S. THAT IS THE NEW SILVER RANGER.

"Why didn't we detect it before, Zordon?" Billy wondered. He'd helped on countless sweeps in the past, most recently when they were searching for whoever the Gold Ranger had been, and there had been no sign of any energy signatures as powerful as a Power Ranger's had to be.

I DO NOT KNOW, IT IS AS IF SOMEONE WAS CONCEALING HER PRESENCE FROM US UNTIL THEY WISHED HER TO BE DETECTED.

"We have to find her," Tommy said suddenly. "If she's the Silver Ranger, she belongs on the team, and we could certainly use the help. Mondo will be after her if he finds out about her, just like he was after Trey." One by one, the other active Rangers agreed.

Billy bit his lip in silent thought. Another Ranger was going to join the team, another Ranger who wasn't him. He heard himself say something he'd been wondering since he'd seen the Silver Ranger in the globe.

"Can you show us the new Silver Ranger, Zordon?"

RETURN YOUR ATTENTION TO THE GLOBE. WE HAVE MANAGED TO DISCOVER THAT MUCH AT LEAST.

The globe shifted, and showed a woman slightly older than they were. Her hair was knee-length and dark brown, her eyes spectacularly green, and she seemed to be just a little taller than Tommy. Billy got a good look at her face, and this time he couldn't conceal his reaction. He stared and paled.

It was her.

"Billy?" Tommy looked at his friend. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Billy spoke before he quite realized what he was saying. "Not a ghost, a dream. I've seen her before. I've dreamed about her all my life!"

Tommy glanced up at Zordon. "What do you know about that, Zordon?"

THE SILVER RANGER, KAHVA, AND THE SAPPHIRE RANGER, SILIAS, SHARED A POWERFUL PSYCHIC LINK. SILIAS WAS BILLY'S FIRST ANCESTOR, AS KAHVA WAS THE NEW SILVER RANGER'S. THE LINK BETWEEN THE TWO FAMILIES FADED WITH EACH GENERATION, UNTIL YOU AND SHE WERE BORN, BILLY. THE LINK BETWEEN YOU TWO IS EVEN STRONGER THAN IT WAS BETWEEN KAHVA AND SILIAS. THAT IS WHY YOU DREAM OF EACH OTHER.

Billy reddened. "She... dreams about me?"

YES.

"What's her name?" Billy could hardly take his eyes off the image in the globe.

OUR SENSORS HAVE JUST REGISTERED HER PRESENCE, NOT HER EXACT LOCATION OR FULL IDENTITY, THOUGH WE ARE TRACKING HER DOWN. WE CAN ONLY HOPE WE FIND HER BEFORE MONDO DOES.

"Does he know about her?"

I DO NOT KNOW TOMMY, BUT WE HAD BEST BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST.

* * *

"Yer Majesty, I have some verra interesting and verra good news!" Klank hurried into the throne room and bowed before the Machine King.

"What are you babbling about, Klank?" Mondo snapped. He was in no mood for Klank's foolishness.

"Master I have learned there is a seventh Power Ranger!" Klank looked eagerly for the king's approval.

"So? Those blasted Rangers will have another member of their team to annoy and vex me! This is horrible news!" Mondo bellowed.

"No, Master, please listen," Klank hurriedly continued. "This new Ranger _isn't aware of her powers._"

"What do you mean?" Klank had Mondo's full attention now, and he quickly filled the king in on what he had learned of the old Silver Ranger and her new descendent. "And I know something the Rangers don't: I know where she is!"

"Excellent, Klank!" Mondo congratulated his servant. "You have gained us a valuable advantage in our war with the Rangers, one that will cause them a great deal of trouble! Send a platoon of Cogs down to Earth to bring the Silver Ranger to me at once!"

* * *

She put away the picture and sighed. She glanced at her computer, then her gaze dropped, as it had been lately, to the miniature crystal ball next to the computer. Like the picture, it came from her world, but unlike the picture, it hadn't remained unchanged. She touched it lightly, then picked it up and rolled it around, enjoying the cool smoothness of it. That hadn't changed at least. It had been blue before she came here. Now it was silver. Not clear, like a natural crystal. It shimmered silver, and at times she woke up at night from dreams in which she held the crystal high, calling out words she couldn't remember when awake. Every time she woke from one of those dreams, her eyes were drawn inexorably to the crystal. It was, except for the color, the same as it had always been since her father had given it to her.

She liked the dreams of the crystal, but not as much as she liked the dreams with him in them. Slowly, though, the crystal's images had been overwhelming his in her dreams. She smiled softly, remembering the dream she'd had the night before. That had been a very nice one. Her dreams of him had become much more vivid since she'd come here. She figured it was because they were both in the same universe now; but it was too much to hope for that he dreamed of her.

She took several deep breaths, getting herself back under control, then sat down in front of the computer. She had bills to pay, and that meant work. She ignored the strange sounds behind her, already absorbed in the workings of her latest novel.

Something tapped her on the shoulder. She jerked around, wondering who had invaded her apartment. She had no close friends here, certainly no one who'd come over uninvited, if at all. She found herself looking straight at a Cog. Something told her this wasn't a friendly visit, either, as if Cogs ever _made_ friendly visits. There were several of them, pouring at her from all over the apartment.

She was out of her chair and falling into a karate stance as soon as she realized who her 'guests' were. She thanked the Goddess she had taken up karate soon after her arrival here. She didn't know what the Cogs wanted, but she had the sneaking suspicion it wasn't good. A double kick to one Cog's chest knocked it back, but another was already taking its place. She whirled, knocking the legs out from under another one, but as she moved her knee-length hair flew out behind her. A Cog grabbed it, pulling her closer to him, and two more grabbed her arms. A sickening feeling gripped her stomach as they teleported away.

* * *

Alarms sounded suddenly in the Power Chamber as the Rangers searched for their newest member.

"Alpha, what is it?" Billy asked. "Another of King Mondo's monsters?"

"Great!" Rocky groaned. "He's got the worst timing!"

"No, it's much worse than that!" Alpha whirled about the Power Chamber. "Ay-yi-yi, it's the Silver Ranger! King Mondo has sent his Cogs to capture her!"

WHAT I FEARED HAS HAPPENED. Zordon looked worried.

"How did he find her?" Kat wondered.

"What matters is, he did. Can we get there before the Cogs do, Zordon?"

NO, ADAM. IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE.

"But she doesn't have her powers. We don't even know where the Crystal is that has them," Kat pointed out. "Why would he take her now?"

SHE HAS THE CRYSTAL WHICH CONTAINS THE SILVER POWERS, SHE IS SIMPLY UNAWARE THAT THEY EXIST, MUCH LESS THAT SHE IS CAPABLE OF ACTIVATING THEM. IF MONDO TAKES CONTROL OF HER MIND AND IS ABLE TO GET THE CRYSTAL, WHICH CAN BE TOUCHED ONLY BY A POWER RANGER, THEN HE WILL HAVE THE MOST POWERFUL RANGER EVER AS HIS TOOL. SHE WOULD BE A FORMIDABLE WEAPON, ONE WE COULD DO VERY LITTLE TO STOP.

* * *

In the Machine Skybase, the Silver Ranger struggled in the grip of two Cogs. She was face to face with someone that since her arrival in this world, she had hoped never to see anywhere near this close: Mondo the Machine King.

"So you're the Silver Ranger." He looked her up and down. "You don't look like much. But I think I can change that."

"What are you talking about?" She was honestly confused. "I'm not a Power Ranger." _Just a fan, sucked into a world I don't belong in._

"Not yet," he admitted. "But you will be the Silver Ranger... _my_ Silver Ranger."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Resolve filled her voice. "But I'll never serve evil." She hoped something would go so horribly wrong with whatever he tried to do to her that the Rangers would never try to rescue her, would never even know she existed.

Even if it meant her own death.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Mondo beckoned to Klank. "Make a potion that will turn this human into my slave, forever. Take her with you so there is no chance of it failing."

"At once, Highness," Klank bowed and hurried off to his lab. The Cogs followed, dragging the Silver Ranger with them. She wondered what would happen next... and knew she'd find out all too soon.

* * *

RANGERS, WE MUST PREVENT MONDO FROM CLAIMING THE SILVER CRYSTAL AND GIVING THE NEW SILVER RANGER HER FULL POWERS. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY I KNOW OF THAT MIGHT SUCCEED.

"What are you saying, Zordon?" Billy looked somewhat nervously at their mentor. Hours had passed since they had learned of the Silver Ranger's capture by Mondo, and Billy had never been so worried.

RANGERS, I MANAGED TO LOCATE THE EXACT TELEPORTATION COORDINATES THE COGS USED TO APPEAR IN THE SILVER RANGER'S APARTMENT WHEN THEY ABDUCTED HER. YOU MUST GO THERE NOW AND RETRIEVE THE CRYSTAL. IT IS SMALL, JUST FITTING INTO THE PALM OF A HAND, AND PURE SILVER IN COLOR. IT IS THAT CRYSTAL WHICH CONTAINS HER FULL POWERS AND SHOULD MONDO GET IT, THEN HE WILL UNLEASH THE FULL FURY OF AN EVIL SILVER RANGER UPON THE WORLD.

"If the Silver Ranger was the most powerful of them all when she was good..." Tommy didn't want to say what he was thinking, but did anyway. "Imagine the destruction she'd cause if she were evil."

"You can't let that happen, Tommy," Billy pleaded. "You have to rescue her." He didn't care who knew anymore. He loved her, she was real, and she was in terrible danger.

FIRST THE CRYSTAL. BILLY, PLEASE REMAIN CALM. I AM AWARE OF YOUR FEELINGS, AND WE WILL DO ALL WE CAN TO RESCUE THE SILVER RANGER.

Billy nodded, but inside, his worries and fears were eating him alive.

"It's morphin' time!" Tommy cried.

"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!'

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

The six Rangers disappeared in flashes of their respective colors. Billy looked at Alpha and Zordon. "What if we're too late? What if Mondo already controls her?"

WE WILL DO ALL WE CAN TO FREE HER, BILLY. I, TOO, KNOW WHAT IT IS TO LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE. I WILL DO ALL I CAN TO SPARE YOU THAT GRIEF.

Billy wondered what Zordon meant by that, but didn't press the subject. He had enough to worry about with his own heart.

* * *

Klank returned to the throne room. "Yer Majesty, it's done! The potion has been mixed and administered to the human woman!"

Mondo almost looked cheerful. "Excellent, Klank! Bring her before me at once!"

She stepped into the throne room and dropped to one knee before the Machine King. "How may I serve you, my master?"

Mondo examined her closely. There was a wicked light in her red-tinged eyes that pleased him greatly, and a cruel curve to her smile that almost made _him_ nervous. "Your first mission is to achieve your full power as my Silver Ranger. I have located your Silver Crystal in your former human abode, and will send you and some Cogs to Earth to retrieve it. Once you have it, activate its powers and return here as my fully powered Silver Ranger," Mondo ordered.

"As my lord commands." She got to her feet, ready for teleportation. Moments later, she and the Cogs were back on Earth, in her apartment.

"Looking for this?" She turned to see six spandex-clad figures standing in the next room. The one in red who had spoken to her held her Crystal. "I think we're too late." He glanced at his companions. "Mondo already controls her."

"Yes, King Mondo is my master," the Silver Ranger nodded. "And that Crystal belongs to me! Give it here at once!"

The Green one stepped closer to her. "Silver Ranger, we can help you. Please, come with us."

"Never!" she snapped. She gave no more warning than that as she leapt furiously at the Rangers. Green fell back, startled by her fierceness and the sudden attack. She knocked Red to the floor, forcing him to drop the Crystal. As she reached for it, she was hauled back and turned to see the Pink and Yellow Rangers pulling her away. A female voice came from the one in pink. "Let us help you. We can free you from Mondo's control. You can be yourself again."

She didn't answer, it was beneath a warrior's dignity to converse with thieves. These so-called "heroes" had stolen the Crystal that was rightfully hers. There was only one way to deal with them: violently. She shook off the two Rangers and vaulted over the Green and Gold ones that threw themselves into her path. She could see the Blue and Red ones converging on the Crystal, and snapped an order to the Cogs. "Get them away from my Crystal!"

The Cogs threw themselves at the two Rangers and a full-scale battle began. The Silver Ranger shook her head at how easily these Rangers were distracted. A soft glow coming from under a table brought her attention back to her Crystal, and she dove for it. As her fingers closed on the Crystal, the Blue Ranger flew by, landing against a wall, and was followed by two Cogs.

Blue... something about blue... a memory tickled her mind, about someone who wore blue or was blue. She shoved the thought away. The only things that mattered were Mondo and the Crystal, in that order.

* * *

"Splendid!" Mondo cheered from the Skybase as his enslaved Ranger seized her Crystal. "But how does she activate it? Klank, do something!"

"I dinna know how she activates it, sire. This is something your Ranger must accomplish on her own. There is also the chance that activating her Ranger powers will destroy my potion and release her to the forces of good again."

"That must not happen, Klank!" Mondo was furious. "That must not happen!"

* * *

Billy watched the viewing globe, and as the Silver Ranger scooped up her Crystal, he felt a strange pang in his heart. She was so beautiful, and so evil now, he reminded himself. What would she do? "Zordon, is it possible that activating her powers will nullify whatever it is that makes her serve Mondo?" _I hope something is making her serve him, I couldn't bear it if she did it of her own free will._

I DO NOT KNOW, BILLY, BUT I BELIEVE WE ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

* * *

The fight stopped as the Silver Ranger picked up her Crystal. It was almost as if the whole world stopped. She looked into it, and memories of another life and time began to appear. "No," she shook her head. "I need only the Power." She raised the Crystal over her head and called out at last the words that until now, she'd heard clearly only in her dreams. "Silver Ranger Power!"

The Crystal and the Ranger glowed softly. The Crystal sank into her, just as the Zeo Rangers' had when they had been given their powers. A Ranger uniform formed about her, identical to the one the Rangers had seen in the viewing globe's image of her ancestor. The silver-hilted sword appeared at her side.

Both sides held their breath. It was done. The Silver Ranger had arrived. But whom would she serve?

Tommy approached her warily. "Silver Ranger? Are you... all right?"

The Silver Ranger backhanded him into a wall. "Leave me be, Zeo Ranger Five! I must return to my master, King Mondo!" She teleported away, taking the remaining Cogs with her.

* * *

"We failed, Zordon," Tommy reported as they arrived in the Power Chamber. "The Silver Ranger has her powers and she serves Mondo."

BILLY AND ALPHA MAY HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT, TOMMY.

They all looked at the two mentioned. Billy gestured towards a canister. "Alpha scanned her by remote during the fight, and learned it's some kind of mind control potion that forces her to serve Mondo. That spray should neutralize the potion. It's the best I could do without a sample to analyze, and you're going to wait until she come back to Earth to try it."

"And if it doesn't work?" Rocky asked.

Billy shook his head. "Then I don't know what else to do."

* * *

In the Skybase, the Silver Ranger once more knelt before Mondo, this time with all her powers. "I am here to serve you and you alone, my lord."

"And so you shall, Silver Ranger. Your next task is to bring me the human associate of the Rangers: Billy. With him as my prisoner, the Rangers will not dare to challenge me!"

"As you wish, my lord." The Silver Ranger knew her only purpose for existing was to serve her master. "The human Billy will be your prisoner."

"Excellent work on this one, Klank. She might actually be able to do what none of your previous creations could do: destroy the Power Rangers!" Mondo beamed approvingly at his chief servant and new chief warrior.

"I feel I should warn ye, my liege, that Rita and Zedd have tried this in the past, creating a new Ranger to destroy the others. It has never worked before," Klank ventured.

"How dare you compare my work to the likes of two bumbling amateurs like Rita and Zedd!" Mondo exploded.

The Silver Ranger, no fool, saw this as her chance to leave on her mission. While Mondo berated Klank for his foolishness, she teleported down to Earth and hid in the shrubbery outside of Billy's house. He would have to come home sooner or later, and when he did, he was her master's.

* * *

"Zordon, do you really think Billy's spray will work on her?" Tommy rubbed his shoulder where it had hit the wall after the Silver Ranger threw him away from her. She was _strong!_

I DO NOT KNOW, TOMMY. WE CAN ONLY TRY THE SPRAY AND SEE WHAT DEVELOPS FROM THERE. WE MUST TRY A DIFFERENT APPROACH IF THAT FAILS. THE SILVER RANGER CANNOT WORK FOR EVIL.

"Well, she's doing a pretty thorough job of it now," Rocky muttered. Billy staggered suddenly, and Tanya caught him before he fell.

"I'm all right, I just need to get some sleep," Billy assured them.

"You go home and rest, Billy. We can try the spray if the Silver Ranger shows up again, and we'll let you know if anything happens that you should take care of," Adam promised him.

Billy nodded reluctantly, then as Alpha pressed a button on the console, he vanished in a blaze of white light. Adam looked up at Zordon. "There was something he wasn't saying, wasn't there?"

BILLY HAS BEEN IN LOVE WITH THE SILVER RANGER ALL HIS LIFE, AND ONLY NOW HAS HE LEARNED WHO SHE IS. HE IS TORN BETWEEN LOVE AND DUTY AT THE MOMENT.

"What will he do if we can't break Mondo's hold over her, Zordon?" Kat wondered.

I DO NOT KNOW, KAT. THAT IS ENTIRELY UP TO BILLY.

* * *

Billy appeared just outside his house and sighed. He hadn't been this tired in weeks. It wasn't just the rush job on the spray, which he wasn't even sure would work, it was seeing the realization of his lifelong dreams. The Silver Ranger, that beautiful, enigmatic figure from his sweetest fantasies, now a murderous hellcat at Mondo's command, bent on destroying the Zeo Rangers and everything he held dear. How could he care for someone like that?

He started up the steps, so deep in thought he didn't hear the mild scrape of boots coming up behind him. He did, however, feel the two strong arms reaching around him and seizing hold. A gloved hand clamped down on his mouth, muffling his calls for help. He felt his communicator being torn off his wrist, heard the sound of metal grinding against cement, then his house vanished. He could tell he and his captor were teleporting somewhere.

They arrived in a strange, gear-filled room. A voice he'd heard in the viewing globe during the Silver Ranger's fight with the other Rangers filled his ears. "I have the prisoner you commanded, my lord Mondo," the Silver Ranger spoke. "Have you a preference for his disposal?" As Billy squirmed in his captor's hold, Mondo stepped forward and laughed in the former Ranger's face before issuing his next set of instructions.

"Put him in a holding cell Silver Ranger," King Mondo ordered. "I don't want his Ranger friends rescuing him, so guard him yourself until I can build a monster. I wouldn't trust the Cogs with a hostage this important. Make sure he doesn't escape."

"As my lord commands." The Silver Ranger bent her head to her lord, then dragged Billy down a corridor. She didn't know how she knew the layout of the Skybase, she simply did. Apparently her master wished her to, and that was good enough for her. The holding cells were deep in the bowels of the Skybase, and as she took him through the corridors, she saw no reason to be gentle as he struggled in vain to escape her iron grip. He tried to speak, but her hand was still firmly clapped against his mouth, and she wasn't in the mood for conversation. She threw him inside a cell and locked the door, then took up a guard position across the corridor. She'd be close enough so that if he tried to escape, she could stop him, and no one could try to rescue him without her noticing. He wasn't moving, though. She examined him more carefully, moving closer to the bars. Had she damaged him more than she thought?

His hand flew up, trying to distract her, as he reached for the keys to the cells. Silver Ranger simply seized his wrist and threw him back down to the floor. "That will not work on me, human! I am King Mondo's ultimate warrior! Did you truly think such a foolish ploy would work?"

"You're not his warrior! You're a Power Ranger, or you could be," Billy rolled into a sitting position and looked at her. "What is your name, anyway, Silver Ranger? I can't keep calling you that."

"I _am_ the Silver Ranger. It is all I am or want to be. I am King Mondo's servant and ultimate warrior. I was created to destroy the Power Rangers."

"That's not entirely true," Billy pointed out. A thin thread of fear ran all through him at her cold assertion. This was totally unlike anything Kat or Tommy had been like under Rita's spells. "You would have become the Silver Ranger even if Mondo hadn't kidnapped you. It's your destiny. You were born to assume the Silver Power, and Zordon was about to send the others to find you when Mondo's Cogs got there first."

The Silver Ranger shook her head. "It matters not. My lord Mondo gave me the Power and now I serve him."

Billy sighed and turned to the wall. At least he could get some sleep. His last thought before sleep claimed him was a glad one; that his parents were out of town on business that week. They wouldn't be worried about his failure to come home that day.

* * *

"Zordon, did Billy make it home safely?" Tommy worried about the whole team, especially Billy. He'd been attacked by Cogs once when the others weren't around, and only his good luck at having a magnet at that moment had saved him. Remembering his own experiences as the evil Green Ranger, Tommy wasn't taking any chances.

I WILL CHECK, TOMMY. Zordon stared off into space for a moment, checking his instruments. I HAVE DISTURBING NEWS, RANGERS. BILLY HAS BEEN ABDUCTED BY THE SILVER RANGER. PLEASE OBSERVE THE VIEWING GLOBE.

The six teens stared up at the globe. They saw the Silver Ranger as she lay in wait for Billy, then seized him from behind as he prepared to go inside. Tommy had to admire her stealth and efficiency. She was very much unlike all the other creations of Mondo, Zedd, or Rita. Then he remembered what she'd just done, and his heart hardened. She had to be stopped, and Billy had to be rescued.

"Where did she take him, Zordon?" Adam asked.

TO THE MACHINE SKYBASE. WE CANNOT TELEPORT OR COMMUNICATE WITH HIM FROM THERE, AS MONDO HAS ESTABLISHED A BARRIER WE CANNOT AS YET BREAK. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT BILLY'S COMMUNICATOR HAS BEEN BROKEN, OR TAKEN FROM HIM. Adam peered closely at the viewscreen, then had Alpha teleport him to Billy's house. The others watched as he stared the spot where Billy had last stood, then gathered several small items carefully off of the driveway. Moments later he returned with the shattered remains of Billy's communicator. "I thought I saw her stepping on something. She's smashed it beyond repair, I'm afraid. She knew exactly what she was doing, there's no chance of finding him up there now, not with that barrier up."

"This is great," Tommy paced around the Power Chamber. "This is just great!"

RANGERS, IT IS LATE. It was almost midnight. RETURN TO YOUR HOMES FOR NOW, AND SHOULD WE DISCOVER ANYTHING NEW BY MORNING, WE WILL LET YOU KNOW. Zordon didn't let his concern show in his voice or on his face.

"He's right," Adam sighed. "We won't be able to do anyone any good if we collapse from exhaustion."

One by one, the Rangers left the Power Chamber. Not one of them slept well that night, worries about Billy and the Silver Ranger haunted them one and all.

* * *

The next morning, Billy awoke still in the cell. The first thing on his mind was the Silver Ranger, for he'd dreamed of her again. He turned over to see her still where she had been the night before, not looking as if she had moved so much as a muscle. "Don't you sleep?"

"Humans sleep. I have no need of it," she replied coldly.

"You're human," he insisted.

"I am the creation of my Master," was all she said. She didn't respond to anything else.

Billy sighed. It was not going to be easy to break her free of Mondo's control. Something caught his eye as he gazed around the cell for anything to keep his mind occupied. It looked as if it were a human-shaped shadow, standing across from him. He stared, he _couldn't_ be seeing what he thought he was.

With every moment the shadow grew clearer and clearer until he could see it perfectly. It was the very image of the Silver Ranger who sat across from him, if she had been unmorphed. Then he took a second look. The differences were subtle, mainly a matter of attitude, and a few more lines of aging, but this was... a cold chill ran down his spine as he realized who, or rather, _what_ he was looking at.

"Kahva Kilanye, I presume," he had the sense to whisper. The ghost smiled.

_You are indeed wise, Billy. My descendent has good taste, I must give her that much credit. Though she was foolish indeed, to permit this to happen to her. _Her voice was in his mind rather than his ears.

"But you're dead!" Billy couldn't believe he was talking with a ghost! "Aren't you?"

_Yes, I died. I gave up my power and my life rather than let either fall into evil hands. That is why I am angered at my chosen descendent. Yet I also understand why she is in the predicament she is. She did not have the time I had to make that choice, nor was the Power hers when she was enslaved by evil._

"Then shouldn't the Power have freed her when she did get it?"

_That is what I believed would happen, and had it been an ordinary spell that trapped her it would have. But Mondo is tricky and used a potion that is tuned to her very essence. There is only one way I know of to break the potion's hold over her: the Silver Flame._

"What's that?"

_The purifying force of the Silver Flame can destroy any evil. It comes from within, from the heart of the Silver Ranger. She must destroy the potion from within._

"How?" 

The knowledge is within her, but cannot be reached until she remembers who she was before the potion. You must also tell her of me, Billy, and of what I did. Kahva looked deeply into his eyes and seemed to nod a little.

"I hardly_ know_ anything about you, ma'am." Something made Billy want to be on his best behavior with this lovely spirit. "I wouldn't know what to tell her."

_Then listen, and I will tell you of myself, my past, and the most fateful decision ever made by a Power Ranger. _Kahva seemed to settle down. _Only you can see or hear me in this place, so fear not that others might become aware of my presence._

"Why is that?"

_All will become clear in time. Now, listen carefully, and remember all you hear. Once, many thousands of years ago, I lived happily on a planet far from here, called Eltar. I had no dreams of fighting, nor did I long for anything more than the love of my husband and family. We had three children already, and had just learned that a fourth was on the way when something happened that changed my life forever..._ Kahva continued to speak, and Billy to listen. She was an excellent storyteller, and soon he found himself caught up in the tale.

* * *

"Kahva!" Dalien Kilanye called to his wife. "Are you ready to go?"

Kahva stepped out of the farmhouse. "Dalien, are you sure it's a good idea to leave the children alone all day? Surely we could take them with us."

"They'll be fine, Kahva," the farmer assured her. "Ziras is coming to keep an eye on them."

"I don't like Ziras, Dalien. He worries me. He's started listening to that strange wizard Vile. That's an apt name for him from what I've heard."

"Now you've been listening to rumors again, haven't you, Kahva?" Dalien chuckled. "If you don't hurry, we'll be late for the fair."

"Mommy! Daddy!" came three voices from within the house. The voices were followed by three small figures hurtling outwards, the largest coming no more than up to Kahva's waist.

"Mommy, you said you'd take us with you!" She bent down to take her eldest child into her arms.

"Tilrak, you and the others can go next time. You're not old enough just yet."

"Am too! I'm nine!" Kahva grinned at her son.

"Not this time, Tilrak. Next time, I promise."

Tilrak stepped away, not convinced. "That's what you said last time."

Dalien looked at his son. "Listen to your mother. Ziras will be here soon to watch you while we're gone. We'll be back late tonight, and you'd better all be in bed when we are."

Tilrak and his two sisters pouted as they watched their parents. Tilrak looked up at them. "Daddy, you fibbed. You said you wouldn't have Ziras watch us anymore."

"Well, he was all I could get on short notice. Go on and play now, he'll be here soon." Dalien was eager to get to the Spring Fair, it had been a long and harsh winter. He got on the wagon and help Kahva on. She looked over their farm one last time before turning her face to the road, and wondered why she felt this would be the last time she would see it.

* * *

The fair had been wonderful. There had been magnificent food, enchanters of various types had amused them with their tricks, and she had heard very few disturbing rumors of Vile. Both those she had heard had been bad enough. "He's amassing an army to take over Eltar." "I've heard he's so powerful no one can stop him." "It's the end of the world."

She had become quite tired of it by day's end. Dalien hadn't listened to any of it, being too busy enjoying himself. Even when the rumors had expanded to include Ziras, saying he had committed some horrible acts for Vile, Dalien had defended his neighbor. Kahva had remained apart from the discussion, as it touched too closely on her own fears for her to think clearly on the matter.

It was really too dark for them to see where they were going, but the road was familiar to them all. Kahva was dozing against Dalien's arm when she felt him tense up. She sat up at once and stared ahead of her. Her heart sank, then a searing pain in her shoulder wiped away everything. She looked down to see an arrow sticking out of her. She turned to Dalien, paling when she saw another arrow: this one centered on her husband's loving heart! "Dalien," she whispered.

Then another arrow struck her back, and pain overwhelmed her in a red wash.

* * *

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes again was a friendly robotic face leaning over her. She looked around and saw she was in a cot in a strange room. "Where am I?" she whispered. "Who are you?"

"I am Alpha-1, and you are in our Command Center." The robot helped her to her feet. She touched her shoulder lightly where the arrow had pierced her. It was healed, as if the injury had never happened, as had the one on her back. Then full memory returned. Her husband, their farm. . what had happened? The farm had been in flames. Dalien was dead. There was a gaping emptiness in her womb. She knew without having to ask that she had lost the child she had been carrying. She should have been dead herself. And what about the other children?

"Command Center?" she asked. "Our Command Center? What are you talking about?" She glanced around. It was a very high-tech place, much more advanced than anything she'd ever seen on their little backwoods farm. Gleaming computers and consoles were everywhere.

A middle-aged man stepped into view. "I am Zordon, and it is good to finally, officially meet you, Kahva Kilanye. Welcome to your new home: if you want it to be."

"Zordon? That's impossible. Zordon died ten years ago when his tower exploded." Kahva remembered hearing about this famous warrior-wizard. "You can't be him."

"I let it be thought I was dead so that Vile and his crew would have no way of preventing what I was doing. I knew many years ago what would happen to your family and farm, and I only wish we could have saved just more than you and your son."

"My son?" she repeated. There was a familiar sound of running feet, and Tilrak threw himself into her arms a moment later.

"Mommy, I didn't do it! I didn't! I didn't!" She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his dark hair.

"Til, I know you didn't. What happened?"

"We were playing in the yard not long after you left, when Ziras came up with a whole bunch of funny gray people with him. Ziras pointed a big sword at the house and it blew up! The girls ran away and Ziras pointed at them and they fell down and didn't get up! I fell down when I saw that and pretended he had already got me. When I looked up, I was here. They were really nice to me. They said you'd be here soon and here you are." He looked up at her. "Mommy, where's Daddy?"

Kahva closed her eyes briefly. "Daddy has gone away, Til."

"When will he be back?"

"I don't know," She rocked him back and forth for a few moments, letting herself grieve for her husband and daughters. Finally she looked at Zordon. He seemed to know what she wanted.

"Ziras openly serves Vile now and has been made one of his chief lieutenants. He was been place in charge of seeing that certain people die. You and any of your offspring were at the top of that list. He will be looking for both of you. You must be made ready to defend yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

Zordon explained. He and his brother Ninjor had created a power source for a fighting team that would be used to defend Eltar and other worlds as the need arose. This team, the Power Rangers, would be chosen from people all over the world, and would be Eltar's only hope, along with the powerful battle machines they would pilot.

"What does this have to do with me?" Kahva asked.

"Only certain people, with a specific mind-set and biorhythm, can pilot these machines and hold the Power," Zordon went on. "You are the first of them. There will be six others. Your son is one of them."

Kahva frowned. "He's only a child."

"I know," Zordon nodded. "but he will grow, and when the time is right, he will, if he wants to, have the Power that is meant to be his."

"And what of me?"

"This is your choice, Kahva. You don't have to do this," Zordon told her. Kahva opened her mouth to say no, then looked back down at her son, who had by this time fallen asleep in her arms.

"As long as Vile is a threat, he'll never be safe, will he?"

"Not while he's growing up, no," Zordon shook his head. "Only the Power Rangers can even begin to put a halt to Vile's evil. But this isn't just something that will take up your life alone, or even just his lifetime. This war has already lasted thousands of years, and will continue far into the future."

"Even after we're both dead?"

"Yes. That's why you must also send your son away."

"I don't understand."

"The Power, once given to a specific individual, can only be passed down to people in that particular family line. If you accept the Power, then only those descended from you can ever succeed you as a user of the Power," Zordon looked at her firmly. "Because Tilrak is going to have his own powers, though, things will be a little different for you. From what my brother and I have been able to determine, your power and his will be split along the basis of gender. Your power will fix itself in the first female child Tilrak sires, while his will fix itself in the first male child he sires."

Kahva closed her eyes in thought. "Through Tilrak," Zordon continued, "the lines of two Ranger Powers will be renewed and continued."

"He's just a little boy! He's not even ten years old yet!"

"It will be his choice, Kahva, just as it is yours. He will make his own decision in his time, but now you must make _yours_."

Kahva knew she was crying again. She had never wanted anything more than a long life with her family. Now that was taken from her forever. She looked at Zordon. "So where are the rest of the Rangers?"

"Thank you," he bent his head to her in respect. He must have known what this cost her. "They will be coming. You are the first, and your training begins tomorrow."

* * *

Kahva's life was never the same after that. She sent Tilrak to live with a peaceful family on far-off Edenoi, with instructions that he be trained as he grew up. When his time came to make the choice of the Power, he would be ready if he wanted it. She herself entered training with Zordon, preparing to receive her own Power when it was time. Zordon was a harsh teacher, who drilled her in fighting move after fighting move until she could do them in her sleep. Months passed, and others joined them, each teleported there as Zordon had done with her and Tilrak.

There was Linon, a tall, dark-haired man, and Shada, a small, blonde woman who reminded Kahva much of her son in looks and merry outlook on life. Shada's cousin Silias joined them as well, and soon after came the twin brothers Pliona and Dilras. Last, but not least, was Caleen, a sturdy, redheaded warrior woman, the only one to arrive already trained in combat. As each arrived, they entered training alongside Kahva. Each had their own tale of what had happened to them prior to being chosen and teleported, and they all involved pain and loss. It took years, but they finally opened up to each other, becoming first friends, then a full-fledged team.

Kahva, to her surprise, was a natural leader. The others came to Pliona for advice and Dilras for humor. Caleen was a rough-edged loner who could and did brawl with the best of them, while Shada was a delicate wraith, with a core of steel, however. Linon was more mysterious, but was always there for them in a fight. Silias was an intellectual, cool-headed thinker, who nonetheless had the muscles and skills of a true warrior. But it was always Kahva they turned to in battle, to lead them to victory.

They were also surprised by something else. When Silias arrived, Kahva, as the most senior of the trainees, was there to greet him. The moment they looked into each other's eyes, they had linked with an almost audible snap. From then on, the two of them knew each other's thoughts and feelings, if they wanted to sense them. Zordon couldn't explain why it had happened, it just did on Eltar occasionally. Two people saw each other, and were psychically linked from that moment on. There was no real explaining it, he said, and it meant only that their minds were compatible for some reason.

Kahva tried very hard not to sense Silias' emotions, for they stirred up feelings in her heart she'd thought dead, and tried to keep dead, since she'd awakened to find Dalien dead and herself alive. She didn't want another relationship with anyone, especially not a friend and teammate.

* * *

The day had come, after three years. Their training was complete and they would be given their powers. They arranged themselves before Zordon, their nervousness all showing in different ways. Kahva alone stood outwardly calm, but inside she shook with nervousness and joy mixed. She could plainly sense Silias' edginess and was glad to know for certain she wasn't the only one feeling like that.

"Each of you has proven themselves a skilled warrior, and worthy of becoming a Power Ranger," Zordon congratulated them. "You have fulfilled all I have asked of you, but now there is much more for you to do. Your battle machines are finished, and each of them corresponds to the true warrior spirit within each of you. Now it is time for the assumption of your powers. Caleen, step forward."

Caleen came, her teeth clenched in anticipation. Zordon held forth a deep golden yellow crystal, and as she took it said, "You are the Gold Ranger, energized by the spirit of the Tiger, as fierce and full of pride as you yourself are."

Dilras was next. "You are the Ape, mighty and strong. You are the Ruby Ranger."

Then came Pliona. "You are the Emerald Ranger, with the power of the courageous and spirited Frog."

"Silias, you are silent and sure, with the power of the noble Cave Wolf and the Sapphire Ranger."

"Shada, you are the graceful and agile Tourmaline Ranger, with the power of the Crane."

"Linon, you are the Bear, cunning and fierce as the Topaz Ranger should be," All the others stepped back, waiting for Kahva.

She came forward in her turn. Zordon held the glittering silver crystal out to her, and as her hand closed on it, she felt power and strength surging through her. It was like nothing she'd ever known or imagined before. She barely understood Zordon's next words, except on a subconscious level. "Kahva, you are the Silver Ranger, with the wisdom and power of the Cheetah. You are also the leader of the Power Rangers, a position you have more than earned." Zordon smiled at her. "Caleen, Kahva, as you have noticed your powers are named not for gems, but for precious metals. That is because the Silver and Gold Powers are the strongest of them all. Because Silver is a purer metal than Gold, the Silver Ranger is more powerful than the Gold. Each of you has a special weapon that the others do not. Caleen, yours is the Golden Power Staff. It is a mighty weapon, capable of firing bolts of energy, and can defeat almost any opponent, if used wisely."

"How do I get it? I mean, where is it now?"

"You will know. The knowledge of how to use your powers is now within all of you," Zordon told them. "Kahva, your weapon is the Silver Sword. It is the finest, sharpest blade in all the universe, forged with but one purpose: to defend the innocent and protect the helpless. Use it wisely."

"I will, Zordon," Kahva promised.

Just then the Command center was rocked by explosions. "What's going on?" Caleen cried out, dodging some falling debris.

Alpha-1 hit a few buttons, and then turned. "It's Vile! He's found us! One of his monsters is attacking the Command Center."

"The energies involved in giving you your powers must have alerted him," Zordon said. "You must morph and fight the creature at once."

"Morph?" This had never been discussed!

"You will know what to do," Zordon promised. "Now, it's morphin' time!"

They looked at each other, then words rose to each pair of lips that had never before been heard in all the universe.

"Tourmaline Ranger Power!"

"Topaz Ranger Power!"

"Sapphire Ranger Power!"

"Emerald Ranger Power!"

"Ruby Ranger Power!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Silver Ranger Power!"

The energies fluxed about them, and power filled them that made what they had felt on receiving their crystals be as nothing. Seven new and powerful warriors stood there. "Go, Power Rangers! Defend this place, for the Command Center will be home and base for generations of Rangers to come, not just you!"

The Power Rangers teleported outside, and saw a huge tentacled monster hitting the many-towered building. "Let's show him what the Power Rangers are for, guys!" Kahva cried, a new thrill filling her as she was _finally_ able to strike back against her foes. She leapt high into the air, and landed a double kick on the monster's face. Silias was right beside her, his joy as plain to her as her own as he rammed a fist into the creature's eye. Pliona had run around behind the monster and was climbing up its back. The other four surrounded it, so they could take it on from all sides. But this thing was much larger than they were, and took no notice of even their mightiest blows.

"Call our Zords!" Kahva ordered. They had decided among themselves to call their battle machines "Zords" in honor of their friend and teacher.

"Crane Zord!

"Bear Zord!"

"Wolf Zord!"

"Frog Zord!'

"Ape Zord!"

"Tiger Zord!"

"Cheetah Zord!"

The Zords appeared, surging towards them. Each Ranger leapt into theirs and the battle truly began. But even with the extra firepower, they couldn't defeat the monster. "Rangers, unite your Zords to form MegaZord!" Alpha ordered over the loudspeaker.

"MegaZord transformation sequence, power up!" Kahva snapped. They joined together and now faced the Tentacle Monster on a more than equal footing. "Let's do it, guys!" The battle was fierce and finally the Rangers had to summon their gigantic Power Sword. With one mighty swing, the Tentacle Monster was done for: and it fell right onto the Command Center.

* * *

"Where is he?" Caleen looked around what had been the Command Center. "Did he teleport out?"

"He would have never left Alpha," Pliona reminded her from where he knelt beside what had been the faithful robot. "He's got to be here!"

"Look there!" Kahva pointed to a pile of rubble. It had moved slightly, and as Dilras and Shada managed to pull some of it aside, Zordon's battered body became visible. He was barely alive as he whispered, "It is ended, Rangers, and it begins. Use your powers to defend Eltar, and never forget what I have taught you. You and those who come after you are the only defense a countless number of worlds will have against Vile and his ilk."

"Zordon, you can't die!" Kahva pleaded. "You saved my life and my sanity! We have to save you!"

"Kahva, there may be a way," Silias drew her aside. "There was a time warp in a storage room around here somewhere. If we can find it, and if it isn't damaged, and if we can get Zordon into it, then he will be safe there: alive, for all time."

"That's a lot of ifs."

"I know. But it's the only chance he has."

"Then let's do it."

When they found the time warp, Silias was surprised it had sustained only minor damage. He carefully transferred Zordon into it, and activated it. Now only his head could be seen, hugely magnified, and floating in a clear tube. He smiled down benevolently on them all.

THANK YOU, POWER RANGERS. His voice was supremely magnified as well by the time warp.

Thus began the Power Rangers. They found a new, safer location for the Command Center, and during rebuilding, Silias added some things, such as a holographic field that made it impossible for the Command Center to be detected by any technology or magic, and a large crystal that could show them almost any location in the known universe. He also built Alpha-2 when it was obvious that nothing could salvage Alpha-1. Battle after battle they fought against Master Vile, and somehow they managed to keep Eltar free. Then, seven years later, everything changed again.

* * *

The Rangers were fighting Vile's newest monster, the fierce Harvox, a five-headed dragon-like creature that spat blue flame. Kahva had been injured in the battle against Vile's last monster, and was recuperating in the Command Center when the call to battle came. Now she watched on the Crystal as her friends fought without her. Suddenly, the Harvox vanished, as did the Rangers. They had been in their Zords, unable to form MegaZord without her, but now the machines were still and unmoving. "Zordon, what's wrong?"

"The other Rangers have been captured by Vile, Kahva," Alpha-2 reported. "He overrode the protections we had on the Zords and teleported them to an unknown location. There is also a message coming through for you."

"From Vile?" It wasn't exactly a question.

"Yes."

"Put him on the globe." She watched, eyes cold, as Vile appeared on the crystal. "Surrender to me, Silver Ranger, or your friends die."

"What terms?" she asked through tight lips.

"No terms," he grinned. "Unconditional surrender, in one hour, or your friends die: starting with the Sapphire Ranger."

His image faded. Kahva looked calmly at Zordon. "I'm not going to surrender. But I can't let them die either."

THEN WHAT WILL YOU DO, KAHVA?

"Free them." Her eyes, heart, and voice turned to steel. "Find them Zordon, and teleport me to them." She paced the Command Center nervously until Alpha reported finally that he had found them.

"It will be dangerous, Kahva. You are still weak, there is no guarantee that even you will come back."

She closed her eyes as Alpha spoke his warning. Zordon had told her she was the strongest Ranger, more powerful than all six of the others combined. She wasn't feel very strong at the moment, though. She thought of Silias, her closest friend, whose heart and mind she knew as she knew her own. She bit her lip.

Her closest friend? Who was she kidding? She was in love with him, and he with her. After ten years, she'd fallen in love again. She grinned to herself. Vile would not take her love from her a second time.

"Silver Ranger Power!" She morphed, then looked at Alpha. "I have to do this. Teleport me there now."

"Good luck, Kahva." The little robot went to the teleportation system and began to program the coordinates.

MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU, SILVER RANGER. Zordon said.

"I'll need it," she sighed. As the Command Center vanished from her sight, she had the same feeling she'd had when looked at the farm that last time: that she would never see this place again.

She materialized near a large palace and looked around, examining the terrain. This place was cold and bleak, with a strange blue-white planet in the sky. She was on its moon, she guessed, or one of its moons. She crept carefully past the gray soldiers Vile had put around this place to guard it. She'd heard some people had started calling them Putties, and figured that was as good a name for them as any. She figured the Rangers would be kept in the castle's dungeons, and Vile was unimaginative enough to have them in the lower regions of the castle. Sure enough, once she'd made her way into the castle, she found a row of cells.

"Pliona!" she whispered, as she peered inside the first one to see the Emerald Ranger on a cot, unmorphed.

Pliona jerked up. "Kahva!"

"Shhh... I'm getting you guys out of here."

"Be careful. Vile has a new servant, something that looks half-ape, half-bird, and all trouble. He's around here somewhere."

Kahva examined the lock. "No way to pick it. Is there a key?"

"Vile destroyed them after he locked us in here. I don't think he planned on letting us out," Pliona whispered. "How are you going to get us out of here?"

Kahva considered her options and realized she had only one. "Like this," she pulled the Silver Sword out and sliced through the door hinges as if they were wet paper. As alarms started to ring, she swore a foul oath, then started to cut down the other doors. When she released Silias, she threw her arms about him and kissed him soundly on the lips. "I love you," she told him.

"I know," he kissed her back, letting all his love and tenderness flow through their now fully-opened link. "I love you, too. But let's do this later."

She blushed, then urged them out. Zordon and Alpha couldn't teleport them from inside this place, it seemed there was some sort of barrier against it. She was the last in line to make sure they all got out safely, and just as Silias, who was in front of her emerged, she stumbled over a loose rock. Silias turned and offered his hand to help her up, but as she reached for it, her hand encountered a hard, transparent wall.

"Kahva! What are you doing? This is no time to play around!" Caleen hissed.

"I'm _not_ playing, Caleen! There's a barrier of some type here," She felt along the wall, seeking in vain for an opening. She heard footsteps and turned to see Vile and a seven-foot-tall armored winged ape coming up behind her. "Go! Get back to the Command Center!"

"I won't leave you!" It was Silias of course. She whirled back to face the Rangers. "That's an order, Sapphire Ranger." Her voice held both the firmness of command and all her fierce love for him. "Go!" They stepped away and she felt the ape-thing grab her. A powerful kick knocked it away from her, and against the wall. "It's not that easy to take me, scum!"

"That's no way to treat a neighbor, Kahva," it snarled.

She swore again. She knew that voice. "Ziras! You killed my family!"

"I am Goldar now, chief warrior for Master Vile," He grabbed for her again, but she dodged. She looked outside again, and saw the Rangers hadn't left. She tapped the communicator Silias had made for her, hoping she could still reach the Command Center.

"Zordon, Alpha, teleport the others out now!" They vanished in sparkles of light, and she was left with Vile and Goldar. A dozen of the 'putties' appeared and she was hard-pressed to defeat them in her weakened condition. Even as she finished off the last one, another batch showed up. Vile and Goldar stayed back, watching as she fought. One of the putties tore her communicator off and smashed it to bits as another managed to knock her off her feet. The others piled on top of her, effectively pinning her to the floor.

"Now what, Master?" she heard Goldar ask through a haze of pain.

"Take her to the tower for now. I've got a new spell of mind control I think I'll try out on her. I wonder how her fellow Rangers will like facing my newest wave of monsters: led by none other than my enslaved Silver Ranger herself!"

Kahva closed her eyes. She was too exhausted and injured to protest as they dragged her away. She must have passed out, because when she opened her eyes again, she was alone on a bed of straw in a high room. The door had a small barred window in it, which she looked through to see a half-dozen putties guarding it. She looked down at herself. Even morphed, she was too weak to fight her way out there, even supposing she could find a way to get past the wall that had trapped her here earlier. There was a slit up high in one wall she supposed was a window, but was just barely wide enough to let her shadow pass through, even if she'd been able to get up there. She closed her eyes and thought things through.

_There is no way I can escape. The others can't teleport in here and I can't teleport or fight my way out. Vile must have planned this to capture me. He knew I'd come here for them. Well, I won't give him the satisfaction of using me against those I love. _She unmorphed and was about to start checking her injuries when she staggered. She hadn't realized she was quite so weak. She braced herself against a wall and started to check herself over. When she was done, a grim realization struck her. If she had stayed morphed, she would have still lived for only a few days. The Power couldn't heal her fast enough. Since she hadn't stayed morphed, her time was reduced to hours. If she went on with the desperate plan that had come to her while checking her wounds, she would have only a few minutes.

Well, that would be all she needed. She cupped her hands in front of her and concentrated. A moment later, the Silver Crystal, source and repository of her powers, was there. She lifted it over her head and powered it with almost the last of her energy. It rose over her head and vanished. This had cost her dearly. Her heart pounded faster and faster and her breath came in short gasps. There was only one last thing to do: say good-bye. She reached out with the last of her power, and reached the crystal in the Command Center. She could see them now. They looked as if they were about to teleport.

"My friends," she whispered. "Do not come here. Vile will trap you as he has me."

"We have to save you!" Silias cried, agony in his voice. "I just found you... I don't want to lose you."

"We had ten years together, Silias, ten years of being linked more closely than any lovers ever could be. You gave me love when I never thought I could have it again." She didn't have the strength for this, but it had to be said. "Silias, I should have done this before. Into your hands I give the Power Rangers. You are their leader now. Do it well."

"Always," he whispered. Caleen laid a hand on his shoulder as tears began to pour down his cheeks.

"Zordon, I have sent my powers into the future. The day will come when a new Silver Ranger will arise. When that happens, welcome her as the one I choose to succeed me. My son is old enough for his destiny now. Tell him of me, and of what I have done, and why."

YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED WITH HONOR, KAHVA KILANYE. YOU HAVE BEEN A PROUD WARRIOR, AND IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO KNOW SUCH A LEADER AND FIGHTER AS YOU. GO TO YOUR REST IN PEACE.

"I do not do this from selfishness or despair. Vile planned to use me against you. I will not fight my friends. I will deny him this, no matter the cost." She felt herself slipping away and welcomed it. "Perhaps we'll meet again, someday, far from now... good-bye, my friends... I love you all... Silias..."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she saw Silias' lips move in soundless speech. "I love you, Kahva." The last thing she saw was her friends, all saluting her in perfect unison. Tears streamed down every cheek.

Kahva Kilanye, the first Power Ranger, the Silver Ranger, was dead.

* * *

Billy looked at the spirit. There was a nobility about her, he'd noticed that before. Now he knew why, and knew it went hand in hand with a deep inner conviction of what was right and wrong. She had perished rather than serve evil. He wondered if he would have that kind of strength, should that choice ever be his to make. "Then what?" he wondered.

_I wandered the cosmos after my death, waiting for someone to be born of my line who was both needed as the Silver Ranger and who would have the potential in great enough measure to use the power properly. While I waited, my son Tilrak became the Diamond Ranger, and took on Vile with a vengeance I had never before realized could exist. I watched as the Rangers drove Vile away from Eltar for good, and established such a strong defense there that he could never return. But that only sent him in search of other worlds to conquer, and this lust for power had already been passed down to his children. Others came to serve him, while others rose to fight him. Some chose to challenge his power for evil with their own evil. Thus did Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, Rito Revolto, Count Dregon, King Mondo, and countless others come into being as threats to the universe. The Alien Rangers of Aquitar, the Masked Rider, and other warriors were chosen to fight them._

"Where did your descendent come from, ma'am? Why did Zordon only detect her yesterday?"

_Because I shielded her once she arrived in this world. She wasn't ready to meet you all yet and was most assuredly not ready to face Mondo._

"Wait a second... "arrived in this world"? What do you mean?"

_There are an infinite number of universes, Billy, each with its own set of rules for reality. Just prior to my successor's birth, I noticed Master Vile's attentions settling on my family again. They had gone into hiding a couple of centuries ago, but somehow he located them again, I do not know how. I did what I could to hide the mother of my successor, but to no avail. He found her and he found the one who became the mother of my other chosen descendent._

"I don't understand."

_My successor and Tilrak's both were born within five years of each other. My successor, who sits across from you now, and your Red Ranger, Tommy Oliver, are both descended from me. My only surviving child, Tilrak, had twin offspring, a son and a daughter. Tommy and his birth-family are of the son's line. The new Silver Ranger comes of the daughter's. I suspected, but was not fully aware, of the fact the Power Rangers would be needed in this generation, or I would have protected my successor's mother all the more fiercely. But I was not attentive enough, and when my successor was born, Vile struck._

"Wha-what did he do?"

_He sent her to another universe, a world without magic or any of the great heroes and villains of this universe. It was all I could do some years later to prevent him from doing the same thing to Tommy and David when they were born._

"What happened to her, though?" Tommy and David were not going to believe all of this.

_She grew up there and learned of the Power Rangers in a very odd way. In that universe, you exist, but... somewhat differently: as characters on a television series. She loved the show, despite it being marketed as children's fare, and during the course of it, she fell in love with you._

Billy shook his head, this was too much. "With an actor?"

_No, with the character the actor portrays. With you. She loves you still, though she doesn't remember it at the moment._

"How did she get here, to this universe?"

_I brought her here when it was time, and trusted her to remain hidden, until it was time._

"And the Crystal?"

_A gift from her adoptive father, or so she thought. I was able to exchange the two crystals when I brought her over to this universe, she thinks it merely odd that her blue crystal became silver._

"How long has she been here?" Billy cast a nervous glance to where the Silver Ranger sat calmly guarding.

_A year and a day. _Kahva smiled faintly. _Billy, you can see and hear me because you are a descendent of my beloved Silias. He and I always had a strong bond with each other, and the link continued down the ages in our two families, though it faded until now. My descendent would also be able to see me, if her vision and heart were not warped by evil at the moment. I must ration my energy for now, so unfortunately I cannot appear for all to see just yet. But when the time comes, I will._

"So now what? Do you want me to tell her about you now?"

_Not at the moment. You must learn her true name and call her by it. Doing that will trigger certain reactions built and bred into her blood. Once she is free, she will be able to get you and herself out of here._

"How can I find out what her real name is?"

_She must tell you of her own will._

Billy shook his head in confusion. Kahva seemed to sense this and floated over to touch him lightly on the cheek. _You are so like my Silias. Be patient, Billy, and all will come clear in time. I must go to the Power Chamber, and do what I can there._

Kahva vanished, and the Silver Ranger across the hall stirred. She hadn't slept, and also hadn't paid much attention to the prisoner's mutterings. Billy looked at her, and for a moment, wondered what kind of a Ranger she would make if she weren't under Mondo's control. If she were anything like her ancestor, the earth would have no better defender.

* * *

"We've got to rescue Billy, and I think our only hope is the Silver Ranger," Tanya stated. "If the spray works, then she can get him back."

Zordon looked at her. The Silver Ranger powers, returned at last. He had never forgotten Kahva or her selfless sacrifice for good. He had chosen each new Ranger not just for their skills and good works, but because each of them had descended from one of the original Rangers. He had never been able to choose a Silver Ranger, since that power had been lost when Kahva made her choice. Now it seemed that the future Kahva had sent her powers to had come at last. But now the Silver Ranger served evil... if only Kahva were still there. She had known things about her powers that even he and Ninjor didn't know. YOU ARE CORRECT, TANYA. WE MUST TRY BILLY'S SPRAY, BUT WE MUST ALSO WAIT FOR THE SILVER RANGER TO RETURN TO EARTH. WE MUST BE PATIENT.

_You were always the patient one, Zordon._ The voice was more like a thought, but still clear. Zordon scanned the Power Chamber, seeking the source. When he found it, he almost smiled. RANGERS, I TOLD YOU THAT THE FIRST SILVER RANGER DIED RATHER THAN LET HERSELF AND HER POWERS SERVE EVIL. BUT IT APPEARS THAT WAS NOT QUITE THE END OF HER.

_Quite right. It takes a lot more than death to stop a Power Ranger, especially me._

"What are you talking about, Zordon?" Tommy asked. His question was answered when a human-shaped glowing form appeared near him. He jumped back in shock and stared. It looked precisely like the Silver Ranger, only dressed in ancient and unfamiliar clothing! "Who are you?"

_Kahva Kilanye, the Silver Ranger. The first Silver Ranger. _The living Rangers jumped again, all startled by this sudden apparition._ I have spoken with Billy, and he is safe for the time being. I know something of what must be done to free my descendent from evil. She must be called by her true name, and that will enable her to awaken the Silver Flame from within the depths of her soul. The Flame will burn away the potion that binds her will to evil and she will be free to choose where her destiny lies. _

"What is her real name?" Adam asked.

_I haven't any idea. She must reveal it of her own will, though, and that will be most difficult, as Mondo's potion keeps any knowledge of her past from her. She does not even remember she was raised in another universe._

"WHAT!" Every voice in the Power Chamber echoed that. Kahva quickly repeated what she'd told Billy. Tommy stared at his ancestor in disbelief for several minutes, until Zordon confirmed all that she'd said.

"The new Silver Ranger - is my_ cousin_?" Tommy was in shock. "I have a cousin."

The other Rangers chuckled at Tommy's expression.

KAHVA, I HAVE FELT YOUR PRESENCE MANY TIMES IN THE PAST. HAVE YOU SOUGHT ALL THIS TIME FOR A NEW SILVER RANGER?

_Yes. I did not think it would take this long, but now that she has arrived, once all this has ended, I may rest at last._

"I can't imagine being dead and being aware of it all this time!" Rocky breathed in awe.

"Kahva, I've heard about ghosts possessing people. Can you do that?"

_Jason, there is very little I can do now. I'm sorry. Most of the power I stored up over the eons is gone now that there is a new Silver Ranger. I am forced to ration what I have. All of you are descendants of the original Rangers, which is why you can see and hear me. Zordon was my mentor, so he can see and hear me also, but I must continue to conserve my energy until the last possible moment._ The ghost sighed, then continued,_ The spray Billy made should be a beginning. The Silver Ranger will guard Billy only until a monster has been made for the job. Then she will return to battle you again, I believe._

"I'm surprised Mondo hasn't started sending down Cogs and monsters to terrorize us and the city," Adam shook his head in bewilderment. "That's his usual style."

I BELIEVE HE PLANS TO DESTROY YOU USING THE SILVER RANGER. THE IRONY OF THE POWER RANGERS BEING DEFEATED BY ONE OF THEIR OWN KIND WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR HIM TO RESIST.

Just then the alarms began to ring. Alpha checked the instruments, then pointed to the viewing globe. "It's the Silver Ranger! She's back, tearing up Angel Grove Park!"

"Which means Mondo has a monster to guard Billy," Tommy said. "Come on, guys. Let's go free my cousin, so she can free Billy."

* * *

"Silver Ranger!" Mondo entered the prison. "Teleport back to Earth and finish off those Rangers once and for all."

"As my lord commands," the Silver Ranger rose to her feet, bowed, then teleported off. Billy noticed that beyond Mondo was a dragon-like creature.

"Meet Harvox, Billy," Mondo said. The creature had five heads and blue-tinted curls of smoke drifted up from its mouths. "It will take over guarding you while my Ranger is gone. I made it after a creature that the first Power Rangers failed to defeat, that led to the death of their leader. I think it's fitting that it should guard an ex-Ranger whom my Ranger captured."

"You're worthless, Mondo," Billy snapped. He hoped Kahva would return soon. It made him feel a little better to know she was around. "You had to resort to Zedd and Rita's old tricks to get an evil Ranger. You couldn't even be original!"

"Hah! My Ranger is unbeatable, human!"

"If we knew her real name she wouldn't be!" Billy retorted. He stopped himself there, wondering if Mondo knew that. The Machine King would wonder how he knew of it as well.

"But you don't know her name," Mondo sneered. "And that silly ghost of her ancestor's can't do anything but talk and watch! I've known of her presence for some time now, she's powerless, and has been for thousands of years!"

_Lifeless, not powerless, Mondo. _Kahva reappeared beside Billy. _There is a difference._

"Not anymore," Mondo headed back up the stairs. "I will see you again, with my Silver Ranger by my side to destroy you both."

_I'm a ghost. I can't be hurt by a mortal. You know that._

"What about one using that Silver Flame of yours?" Mondo taunted before he slammed the door to the prison area behind him.

Kahva turned to Billy. _Things will begin to happen soon. Be patient._

"What was he talking about, using the Silver Flame to hurt you?"

_I don't know if the Silver Flame can hurt a ghost or not. I never had occasion to try it. I don't really want to find out now, either. We have to find out my descendant's name. That's where you come in, Billy. This is Tommy's plan. _Kahva outlined it, and Billy knew he could do his part admirably: all it required for now was that he sit and wait.

* * *

"In the name of my master, Mondo the Machine King," the Silver Ranger punctuated each of her words with a fierce kick or punch to one or more of the Rangers. "I will defeat you, Power Rangers!"

"You're one of us, Silver Ranger!" Tommy ducked under one of her fists and delivered a punch of his own to her stomach. She shrugged it off and retaliated with a savage roundhouse strike to his knees. Tommy fell back and was steadied by Rocky. "We shouldn't be fighting each other, we should be fighting Mondo, we're cousins! We should be on the same side!"

"I have no human kin," Silver Ranger stated flatly.

Tanya and Kat rushed in for a double-barreled hit at her legs, but the Silver Ranger somersaulted over both of them. The two female Rangers fell forward, propelled by powerful kicks to their backs. The Silver Ranger whirled on Adam and Jason then, hurtling into them like an animated freight train.

_Now, Tommy, while she's distracted. _Kahva's whispered voice came to him. He tapped his communicator. "Now, Alpha!" Tommy held out his hand and the spray Billy had made before his capture was teleported to him. Adam and Rocky held the Silver Ranger by both arms, allowing Tanya and Kat to tackle her to the ground. Jason unlatched her helmet and pulled it off as Tommy warily approached. As her helmet came off, deep brown hair spilled down all around them, and he got a good look at her face for the first time since she had morphed into the Silver Ranger. She was the physical duplicate of her ancestor, except her eyes were red with spellbound madness. She was almost foaming at the mouth as she fought to get away. Her muscles bulged as she began to throw off Ranger after Ranger. Tommy could waste no more time. He sprayed the mixture straight into her face as he'd been told.

The evil Ranger surged to her feet, stepped back, and snatched up her helmet. "What have you poisoned me with?" she croaked. Then her voice softened. "Who am I? Where am I?"

"You're our friend and teammate, the Silver Ranger," Kat attempted. "What's your name? You haven't told us yet."

"I don't know," The Ranger stepped farther back, her voice wavering. "I don't remember anything!"

Suddenly she shimmered and vanished. "Mondo teleported her back!" Alpha reported from the Power Chamber.

"Just as you said he would Tommy," Kat smiled at him. "Let's just hope Billy can do his part."

* * *

Billy looked up as a shimmer of light appeared outside his cell. The Silver Ranger was there, her helmet clattering to the floor as she dropped to her knees, leaning against the wall. "Who am I?" she whispered. "What's going on?"

Mondo and Klank appeared. "What's wrong with you, Silver Ranger? Get up and go destroy the Power Rangers!"

"Who are you?" She looked up at Mondo. "Who am I?"

"Klank, what's happening to her?" Mondo almost looked worried.

"It's the spray they used on her, milord. It's wiped her mind clean of all her memories."

"Is she still in my power?"

"Yes, she is still under the potion's effects. She just dinna remember it."

Billy surged to his feet, seizing his chance. "Silver Ranger! Remember your name! Your real name! Remember your ancestor, Kahva Kilanye! She wore the same uniform you do, had the same powers you do, and gave her life in the fight against evil. You can't serve evil any longer. You're free to do as you will."

"Who are you?" the Ranger whispered, turning to gaze at him. There was a faint spark of recognition in her eyes. "Do I know you?"

"Not really, not yet, but I want to know you. That can't happen while you serve Mondo."

"Mondo... is my master... I remember that," she spoke haltingly. "I remember... power."

"Yes! You are my Silver Ranger! I gave you the Power!" Mondo shouted "Ignore that human! Listen to me!"

The Silver Ranger stepped closer to Billy. "Keep going."

"You didn't grow up here, but you should have. You were sent to another world, where the only way for you to know me and my friends was on a television show. You were brought here to assume your rightful place as one of the Power Rangers: the last defense of the world against evil."

"He's lying! I made you to serve me!" Mondo screeched almost as loudly as Rita Repulsa. You belong to me!"

The Silver Ranger looked at her costume and touched a strand of her flowing dark hair. "I am human. You are a machine."

"Serve me," Mondo's voice hit her like a whip. "I own you."

The Silver Ranger fell back, crumpling to the floor again. "I have no choice!"

"Yes, you do! You will always have a choice!" Billy tried again. "Choose! It's up to you to decide!"

"She belongs to me," Mondo snapped. "Remember that, my Ranger."

The Silver Ranger's shoulder's slumped in defeat. Billy reached out with heart, mind, soul, and hand to her. They shared a bond, he'd been told, and now he reached for her with that as well. "Tell me your name and I can help you!"

She turned to him. Tears sparkled in her green eyes, still touched with the red of the potion. She took his hand in hers, and even through her gloves he felt the warmth of her soul. "What is yours, first?"

"William Cranston. They call me Billy."

Then he was overwhelmed by the force of her suppressed memories as they surged forward. Billy saw her newborn and crying in a strange place. He saw her growing up strong and lovely, and caught glimpses of those who became her friends and family. He saw her see him on television for the first time, and felt her heart skip a beat with joy and love. Then she was standing in his universe for the first time, confused, scared, and alone. Then the new life she'd built for herself in that world was shattered as the Cogs came. He lived her life through her, and when he dropped her hand a moment/lifetime later, he knew three things.

1. Her true name was Sheena Devereaux.

2. She loved him with all her heart and soul.

3. He loved her with all of his.

"SHEENA DEVEREAUX!" he screamed her name to the stars. As it had when she had first taken the power into herself, time seemed to stop. From somewhere in the vicinity of her heart, a pale light began to glow. Billy knew this was the Silver Flame, and he watched as it ran throughout all her being, finding the potion that bound her to Mondo's will and service and destroying it. She stood upright, her eyes gleaming like the greenest of new leaves, with no trace of red at all.

"I am free," she stated simply.

Mondo snarled, then he and Klank vanished. Mondo's voice came to them. "Free of my potion, but not my dungeon!"

"That remains to be seen," Sheena laughed and turned to Billy. He was struck suddenly by how beautiful she was, but hadn't forgotten his guard. He pointed behind her. "Harvox!"

Sheena whirled, striking the multiple-headed dragon with double hits to the neck. It backed away and she followed it. One karate chop, five punches, three kicks, and a final strike with the Silver Sword later, Harvox was done for. "Cheap copy of the original," she muttered as she demolished Billy's cell door. "Let's go," she said, after planting a kiss on the surprised ex-captive.

"How? Zordon can't teleport us out of here."

"So we go the old-fashioned way."

"What?"

"By Zord." She laughed at the expression on his face. "Come on, I'll show you."

They raced up the steps with Sheena in the lead, taking out every Cog that dared to cross her path. "That door leads outside," she pointed to it. "But I don't think Mondo's going to let us go without a fight."

"You are correct, my Ranger," Mondo's voice came from the air. "You are mine, you belong to me, and that is the way it will always be."

"Never," she swore. "Never again. I'll go the way of my ancestor this time. I can do that now."

"But that will leave your precious Billy here with me. Do you really want that?"

Sheena bit her lip. She wouldn't do that... with her memories fully restored, she _couldn't_ do that. Then she grinned. "I won't have to. I need Cheetah Zord Power, now!"

A thunderous roar shook the Skybase to its foundations. Billy looked up to see a huge silvery cheetah-shaped Zord flying towards them. "And by the way, Mondo, the name's Sheena Devereaux... Miss Devereaux to the likes of you!" Sheena grabbed hold of Billy's arm and leapt up towards the Zord. A moment later, they were in the cockpit. "We're going home," Sheena smiled.

"What happened to you, Sheena?" Her name tasted sweet on his tongue. "Just how did you get rid of the potion in you?"

"When we touched Billy, you saw my past. When you called me by name, I remembered everything you saw." As with all the Rangers, piloting her Zord came naturally to her, so Sheena talked as they flew towards the Earth. "When I heard my name, a lot of other memories flooded back, but not just from me. From Kahva. I remembered everything she'd ever done in all her life, and a good portion of what she went through after her death. I know her now as well as I know myself, better in some ways." She shifted direction slightly as they entered Earth's atmosphere. "I also remembered what it was like in my world, and how I loved you there. When I saw you in the cell, after I woke up from the potion, I felt it even more. Billy, even before I came here, before I knew you were so much more than just some character on a TV show, I loved you. I loved your heart, your mind, your courage, your soul... and when I found out I was somewhere where you were really real... I was ecstatic."

"Why didn't you come to Angel Grove, then?"

"I was afraid," she admitted. "I was too scared to try it. I thought if I saw you in real life, it would be just like it was back home. I was tongue-tied and confused most of the time with guys. I didn't know how to talk with them or be with them or anything. I got scared. All the guys I knew, except for my friends, they weren't worth knowing. All I wanted was to be left alone."

Billy thought for a second. He knew he loved her, and she loved him. But could the love stand up to both of them admitting it? Finally, he tentatively asked, "Is that the way you still want it?"

Sheena turned to look at him. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Silently, she shook her head. He bent down, and their lips touched in a gentle, loving kiss.

The Cheetah Zord shook. "That was some kiss!"

"That wasn't me, much as I wish it was! It's them!"

Billy looked to see where she was pointing, and saw several Quadrafighters closing in on them. "Mondo never gives up, does he? Let's see what this Zord can do, love." She hit a button on the control panel and an enormous gun emerged from the Cheetah Zord's mouth. Quadrafighters exploded into bits all around her as she fired. "Hey, this is fun!"

"The job does come with some perks," Billy joked. "Blowing Quadrafighters out of the sky is just one of them. Not the usual perk, but it qualifies, I guess." He ran his fingers across the back of her neck, causing her firing to go erratic.

"Could we save that till after the wedding, please?"

"Is that a proposal?"

"I guess so." Sheena blasted a few more Quadrafighters.

"I think I can do better than that." He would have gotten down on one knee, but there wasn't room. Finally he just said. "Will you marry me, Sheena?"

"Yes," she replied simply. "Would today be too soon for the wedding?"

"Not at all," Billy grinned. "Who would have thought I'd get abducted by the woman I love and am going to marry?"

"I don't think our kids will ever believe this." She destroyed a few more fighters, then the rest turned and flew away.

"Power Chamber dead ahead," Billy pointed it out. "It's good to be home." The Cheetah Zord landed just outside the Zord Holding Bay and trotted in as if it belonged there, which it did. Once they got out, Billy went to a communications panel on the wall. "Guys, this is Billy. I've got the new Silver Ranger here with me, Sheena Devereaux, and she's completely free of Mondo's control. We're on our way up to the Power Chamber now."

"Welcome, Sheena," Tommy's voice came over the speaker.

"Be prepared to welcome her a bit better than that, Tommy," Billy grinned. "After all, Sheena and I are going to be married today."

"WHAT?" came the chorus of voices.

"I'll explain when we get up there," Billy laughed and led the way to the elevator. While on the way up, he and Sheena took the opportunity for several deep kisses and long looks into each other's eyes. When they reached the Power Chamber, the first words out of Tommy's mouth were, "Would you care to introduce us properly to your girlfriend, Billy?"

"His fiancée... and your distant cousin," Sheena smiled. "Hello." She stepped towards Tommy, her hand held out. Shocked, the Red Ranger shook it. "I'm Sheena Devereaux, the Silver Ranger. I know I caused you guys some trouble, and I'm sorry. Now that I've got both the Silver Power and the brains to know which side to use it on, I'd like to use them with you guys. If you'll have me."

"And if we said no?" Tommy asked, raising one eyebrow, having got past his shock quickly.

"Then I'll use them on my own," Sheena told him flatly. "But I'll never use them for evil again. I'll die first."

Tommy smiled. The Rangers all looked at each other, then Tommy looked back at her. "We'd be honored to have you."

IT IS GOOD TO HAVE THE SILVER RANGER ONCE MORE SERVING THE CAUSE OF GOOD, Zordon's voice boomed WE WELCOME YOU TO OUR UNIVERSE, TO ANGEL GROVE, AND TO THE POWER RANGERS, SHEENA DEVEREAUX. YOUR ANCESTOR CHOSE WELL IN YOU.

_Of course I did. _Kahva appeared. _Sheena, the power of the Silver Ranger is yours now. Use it wisely and with care. The Silver Sword and the Silver Flame are your greatest weapons. Be careful with them both. As with every other Power Ranger, you must follow the three rules. Never use your power for personal gain. Never escalate a battle unless your enemy forces you to. And never let anyone know your secret. No one can know you are a Power Ranger._ The ghost looked amused at her descendant's startled expression

"You're my ancestor!"

_Bright girl. Hopefully your kids will take after their father,_ Kahva chuckled._ Zordon, it's good to see the old uniforms and powers back in action._

YES, KAHVA, IT IS. NOW WHAT WILL YOU DO?

_Rest. At last. After fifteen thousand years, my task and my vigil have ended. A new Silver Ranger has come to take up the fight against evil. Good-bye, Sheena Devereaux, Silver Ranger._

"Good-bye, Kahva Kilanye, Silver Ranger." Sheena waved as her ancestor rose higher into the air, then vanished like a puff of smoke.

"Welcome to the team, Sheena," Jason clapped her on the back. "That Cheetah Zord of yours is awesome!"

"I like it," Sheena smiled. She was welcomed by all the other Rangers, and Tanya and Kat promised to take her shopping the next day to get a new wardrobe, since most of her old stuff had been demolished by the Cogs during the fight with the Rangers in her apartment. She went to Billy and kissed him. This wasn't just some simple peck on the cheek, but a full-fledged kiss that had it been explosives, could have leveled several large continents. Billy held Sheena close, then looked up at Zordon.

"So Zordon, are you capable of performing marriages?"

**

To Be Continued

**


	2. Something Inheireted, Something Blue

**Something Inheireted, Something Blue  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

Everyone rushed around the Power Chamber. Organized chaos was the only way to describe the scene; the Rangers were setting up for the impromptu wedding, while the Aquitian Rangers, Prince Dex, and the Treys were being briefed by Zordon and Alpha on the arrival of the Silver Ranger. The Treys seemed to understand all the fuss about the wedding, but as Tanya paused to look at the Aquitians and Dex, she barely kept herself from laughing at their confused expressions. Where they were from, Cestro was commenting, if you loved someone that much, then you were simply married from the moment you agreed on those feelings. On Edenoi, Dex was saying, a wedding ceremony had only been a legal formality, usually only performed in the case of political marriage, and that practice had gone by the wayside pretty much ever since Count Dregon had started his attacks on Edenoi. Fortunately, the Treys were a great help at helping the others to understand the current insanity, at least to a certain degree. "Humans are different about these things," Trey of Wisdom explained. 

"I would use the term 'strange'." Cestro was still puzzled by the crazed activity. Dex nodded his wholehearted agreement. 

Tanya shook her head and looked sharply at Tommy. "Is everything ready yet?" 

"Almost," the leader of the Power Rangers replied. "Adam, is there anything else we need?" 

"The bride and groom would be nice," the Green Ranger chuckled. "Aren't they done yet?" 

"I'll check on Sheena." Kat left the room, then poked her head back in briefly. "Zordon, why do you have a wedding dress here, anyway?" 

The large head looked sad for a moment. IT IS, OR WAS, MY WIFE'S. 

The Rangers stared at each other for a moment. "You were married?" they chorused. 

IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, EVEN BEFORE I MET SHEENA'S ANCESTOR KAHVA, AND LONG BEFORE MY BROTHER AND I EVER FIRST THOUGHT OF FORMING A GROUP TO FIGHT EVIL. HER NAME WAS ELYSIA. 

Zordon seemed to be looking away, perhaps into the past. Then he returned his attention to them. BUT THAT IS DONE WITH, RANGERS, AND WE HAVE A NEW WEDDING TO PREPARE FOR. ARE BILLY AND SHEENA READY? 

"I'll check on Billy," Adam volunteered, as Kat left to go see how the newest Ranger was progressing in her preparations. Adam went to the side room where Billy had gone to get ready. Billy had teleported briefly back to his house to get a suit, since Sheena flatly refused to marry him in the jeans and shirt he had been wearing. She herself hadn't been much better dressed, but then Zordon had produced a beautiful silvery-white wedding gown that fit her perfectly, once Kat and Tanya did some emergency restitching on it. 

Billy was fastening his tie as Adam came into the room. "How are you feeling, Billy?" 

"Well, for someone who's been abducted, imprisoned, rescued, finally met the woman of his dreams that he's been dreaming about all his life, engaged, and is about to be married to the same person who did all of the previous things to him in the same twenty-four hour period, I'm doing fine," Billy grinned foolishly. "Is Sheena ready?" 

"Everything's almost ready . I think we just need you." 

"Ready my foot," Tanya snapped from the doorway. "Sheena needs a bouquet. Does anyone know where any roses are? She wants roses." 

"Roses?" Billy and Adam looked at each other. 

"Roses," the Yellow Ranger said firmly. 

"I'll go find some." Billy headed for the Power Chamber. "Alpha, where's the nearest rose bush?" 

The little robot, who wore a tie of his own to honor the occasion, checked the area with his equipment. "There is a wild rose bush fifty miles from here, at these coordinates. No one is there this time of year. You can teleport straight there." 

"Send me at once." Billy was glad to get away from the Power Chamber for a few minutes. He and Sheena had only been back for a few hours, during which they had mainly rushed around preparing for their wedding. He loved her, that was no problem. She loved him, also no problem. Their souls had touched. So why was he so upset and nervous? 

It was the fact she was a Ranger and he wasn't. Not anymore. She would be going into danger every time Mondo sent a monster down to Earth. He might lose her... how had their ancestors dealt with this? The answer was simple. They hadn't had to. Both been Rangers anyway. They had been in battle together, able to watch out for each other. All he would be able to do was watch on the viewing globe. 

Were they rushing into this, he wondered as he transported to the rose bush. He and Sheena had objectively known each other less than a day. She'd known him for years through her own dreams and through the TV series in her homeworld. He'd known her all his life through his dreams. But they had only met the day before, when she'd been under the effects of Mondo's potion, and had kidnapped him. 

He wanted to talk with her about what it had been like under the potion's effects. There hadn't been time yet. Maybe later. He grinned as he materialized near the rosebush. "On our honeymoon," he whispered under his breath. 

The bush had several rich white roses on it, which seemed the perfect complement to Sheena's status as the Silver Ranger. He'd already noticed she wore two silver rings, one on the forefinger of each hand. On her right there was a ruby, encircled by hearts, on the left, a moonstone with stars, a crescent moon, and a comet. He meant to ask what they meant to her, since from the way she caressed them at times they seemed to be very precious to her. 

As he gathered the roses, he looked up and saw one on the very top of the bush. It was larger than the others, and almost glowed in the sunlight. He knew she would love that, and reached for it. Just as the stem broke, and the flower fell into his hand, the ground beneath him shook. 

"Alpha! Zordon! Sheena!" he called out, then remembered. Sheena had broken his communicator when she had abducted him, and he hadn't had time yet to make a new one. The earth opened up and swallowed him. He fell for what seemed to be forever, losing all track of time, space, and awareness.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, he was elsewhere. Where elsewhere, he didn't know. Shadows surrounded him as he got to his feet. Was this one of Mondo's traps? 

_You are safe here, Billy. _The voice, more of a thought really, surprised him. It was clear, and almost bell-like in tone. _You have been brought here for a purpose._

"Who are you?" 

_A friend. That is all you need to know for now._

"Why did you bring me here?" 

_In ancient times, it was customary for a man about to be married to undergo a trial to determine if he were worthy of the woman he loved. This is doubly so for one who is to wed the Silver Ranger. _The voice halted suddenly, as if it had meant to say more, but stopped in time. 

"Who are you?" Billy asked again. 

_A friend. _ The voice answered once more. _There is a series of caverns to your left. The Power Chamber is on the other side. To succeed in your trial, you must reach it, overcoming all obstacles along the way._

"Why hasn't I just asked if I wanted this trial?" 

_You want to marry Sheena, don't you? _The voice seemed almost smug. 

"Well, yes." 

_Then begin your trial, William Cranston, once the Blue Ranger, protected by the Wolf Spirit, guardian of the Power Chamber, and chosen love of Sheena Devereaux, the Silver Ranger. _ Light filled the cavern, just enough to see by, but not enough to blind him. He glanced around, and noticed the last rose he had picked at his feet. It pulsated slightly, and he bent to pick it up. 

"For you, Sheena," he whispered. "Because I love you." 

He saw there was only one exit to the cavern, the one to the left the voice had told him of, and headed for it, the rose held between his fingers. Just as he reached the exit, he felt a twinge of fear. What if this wasn't some test? What if this was a trap of Mondo's, to keep him from his wedding? The Machine King had been furious, to say the least, when Sheena had not only escaped his potion-induced control, but his palace as well, and had taken Billy with her. What wouldn't he do to get the Silver Ranger back under his control? 

Like kidnap her fiancé? His blood ran cold for a second, and his fingers clenched tightly about the rose in his hand. He looked at it for a second. It gleamed silver, just like her costume, like the glint in her eyes, like the sparkle in her heart. 

He loved Sheena. Regardless of whether or not this was a trap, he'd go through with it... for her. For love. He stepped into the cavern ahead of him.

* * *

Where was he? The very second he'd passed into the cavern, a strange thick fog had surrounded him. The realization came crashing in on him that he was alone. The Rangers couldn't find him here. Zordon and Alpha wouldn't be able to locate him. Even their enemies couldn't get to him. That in itself should have comforted him, but instead he shook with fear. At least if he'd been captured by Mondo again, he knew Sheena would move heaven and earth to get him back... but if he vanished into the depths of this cavern, would she even know what had happened to him? 

And what about Sheena? She'd been so strange since they'd gotten back, almost distant. What was going on with that? 

Fear clawed at Billy's heart. This fog was so thick, so enveloping! He could barely see an inch in front of his face. If he couldn't find his way through, what would happen to the Rangers? They needed his scientific expertise... or did they? They hadn't seemed to miss him too much when he'd gone to Aquitar a few months earlier. They had found someone else when they needed a brain. When he'd been on the way home from that trip, he'd almost wondered why he had bothered to come back. All he was to them was a liability these days. Sheena had proven that when she'd so easily kidnapped him. 

Sheena. She was like a warm spark in his heart, a glowing symbol of all that was alive and returning... after fifteen thousand years, her ancestor's power had returned just when it was needed the most, to someone who would be a splendid Ranger. Why couldn't it have been given to him? He had been a Ranger once. All she had to qualify her was that her ancestor has been one. 

But he wasn't of the right bloodline, and he knew it. So what if his great-great-grandfather had been one when Kim went back to the Wild West... what did that mean? So his ancestor Silias had been one of the first. Blood did not the Ranger make. 

What did it matter? He had proven he was worthy, by hard work and fighting constantly. So would she. What did she gave that made her worth it? She'd had the courage to deny Mondo power over her when she could have surrendered. She had fought well when the Cogs attacked, both in her apartment and in the Skybase. 

He loved her. He could never forget that. That was why he was going to marry her. As that thought crossed his mind, more doubts assailed him. Were they doing the right thing in marrying so soon? Shouldn't they wait until they'd gotten rid of Mondo and all the other would-be dictators trying to conquer the Earth? 

What if they never got rid of them? What if the Rangers were defeated? The thought of Sheena gone, of that light in her eyes and heart extinguished forever, stopped him in his tracks. Doubts began to fill his mind. 

He saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked fully at it and caught his breath. An image formed in the fog. It showed him and the other Rangers, back when Rita had been the only one threatening their world. They were fighting the GooFish, and the others had been trapped by its toxic spray. He, on the other hand, had been trapped only by his fear. 

Something he now felt again. His fish phobia had returned, a thousand fold. He literally quaked with fear as he watched the GooFish taunt his friends. He knew how it had ended the first time: he had overcome his fear and broken the spell on him. But this was different. 

The GooFish turned to Billy. "You're nothing but a coward! All this time, hiding your fears behind your brain! You would have never beaten me without help from Zordon! You're still a prisoner of fear!" 

Billy stepped back. What was gong on here? Panic overwhelmed him, and he turned to run. Before he'd gotten three paces though, he stopped cold in his tracks. 

Putties, Tengas, and Cogs were all around him. Goldar and Rito appeared, swords in hand. "Pathetic human!" Goldar snarled. 

"You couldn't beat us with the Power, you've got no chance to do it without," Rito agreed. 

Billy stepped back, then remembered the GooFish was behind him, the embodiment of all he feared. He held up his fists, the rose clenched in them. "Get away from me!" his voice shook. 

Rito knocked him down easily, then all of them were converging on him. He fought back as best he could, but he was outnumbered and overmatched. Where were the others when he needed them? They'd always shown up when he was in trouble before. 

Not always. He remembered when he'd been attacked by Sprocket's monster and Cogs weeks earlier. He'd defeated them with his mind, not his body. He had been afraid then, but he'd overcome it. He'd had to, just like he did now. 

_Fear. You must overcome all obstacles along the way. _The strange voice had told him that. This had to be one of them. 

The monsters drew closer and he stared at them. "Come on, give it your best shot," Rito sneered at him. 

Billy laughed at him. He had his back to a wall, and was surrounded. It was a classic movie setup. If he'd been watching it, he would have been bent double laughing. "Give it _your_ best shot, Rito. I might not be able to take you all, but I'll go down fighting." 

Then he was alone in the cavern. Everything had vanished, including the fog. 

_You have passed the trial of courage, Billy, and I congratulate you. Courage comes from not giving up, no matter what the odds. _The voice sounded in his mind again, then was gone. 

Now that he could see what was around him, he noticed there was an exit on the far side of the cavern. He glanced behind him and swallowed suddenly. 

There was nothing but a blank wall there. No tunnels, no openings. Nothing he could have come through. Nothing at all. 

He headed for the far side of the cavern. When he went through, he turned around at once to see what had happened. But somehow in that split second, the cavern had sealed behind him just as the other must have. 

He turned back to the new cavern. He had figured out that each cavern would hold a test, but he also had no idea of how many tests there were. This could go on for quite a while. 

Billy walked on for what seemed like forever. He couldn't see the other end of this cavern. He kept walking. If only there were some sort of short cut! He looked up and saw what looked to be a cavern entrance. Had he reached the end so quickly? 

As he drew closer, he saw that it was in fact two exits. With little plaques attached to them, no less. Why don't they just put up a sign saying "here is your next test" he wondered. 

He glanced at the plaques. One read "Power Chamber". The other read "Next Trial". 

Like he had to think about this! He started for the one that said it led to the Power Chamber, then stopped. It _couldn't_ be that easy, could it? He listened to both caverns for a moment. 

At the one that read "Next Trial" he could hear nothing. But when he went to the one that read "Power Chamber" he heard, "Where's Billy? Is he still getting my flowers?" 

OUR READINGS INDICATE HE IS STILL AT THE ROSEBUSH. Zordon's voice boomed in his ears. HE SHOULD NOT BE MUCH LONGER. 

"I'm here," he called out loudly. "I'm being put through some sort of test or trial! I'm all right!" 

"Sheena, have you thought about Billy's parents? I don't think they're going to take you just appearing out of thin air and being his wife very well." That was Kat. 

"I hadn't really thought about it," Sheena replied. "I guess I should." 

Billy stepped back. This corridor had to lead to the Power Chamber. The other corridor would cause him to continue his trials. He could be at his wedding in moments: or he could keep going. 

He walked through the cavern entrance that read "Next Trial". He had promised himself to go through these trials. He wouldn't cheat. 

_Once more, well done, Billy. You have passed the trial of honor. You would not take a shortcut to success._

"Then that other cavern?" 

_Would have led you to the Power Chamber and your friends and beloved. But you chose to continue the trials: to keep your word to yourself. If one will not keep their word to themselves, then they will keep it to no one else._

"What's the next trial? How many are there?" 

_You will know what it is when you reach it. As for how many there are: as many as there need to be, for you to earn your way._

"But I already love Sheena!" 

_That, too, shall be tried. Now go, and be strong, Billy._

Light blinded him as he entered the next cavern, then music filled his ears. It took him a second to recognize what it was. 

"The Wedding March?" he murmured. "I'm sure I took the path to my next trial." 

As his vision cleared, he realized he wasn't in the Power Chamber, but instead somewhere else altogether. It was a church! The pews were filled with people, who didn't seem to notice his strange appearance from nowhere. 

The music swelled to a crescendo, and he saw a woman standing near the door. She wore a splendid wedding gown, and her eyes were fastened on the front of the church. A lovely smile graced her lips. He gasped. It was Sheena! 

He turned to look at the groom, and his heart fell so low it might as well have not existed. 

It was Adam. 

He watched in horror as Sheena approached. He saw the other Rangers standing near, and went to talk with them. 

"Tanya, what's going on here?" 

Tanya didn't say anything, at least not to him. She leaned over to Kat, who stood next to her, and whispered, "Aren't you glad Sheena decided not to marry Billy? Adam is so much better for her." 

"Yes," Kat nodded. "Sheena was smart to realize that when Billy never came back. I wonder whatever happened to him." 

"He just vanished. He ran out on her," Jason whispered from near them. "It's just as well. We could never have defeated Mondo if he'd stuck around." 

"And now Sheena's marrying her true love: Adam," Tommy nodded briefly. 

Billy stared as the two exchanged vows. As they kissed, he felt as if his heart had broken forever. "How could you do this to me?" he whispered. "I thought you loved me, Sheena. I thought you were my friend, Adam. I thought you were my best friend. I thought all of you were my friends." 

He felt like crying. Tears did begin to slip down his cheeks as he crumpled to the floor. How could Sheena and Adam do this to him? How could the others speak so cruelly of him? It wasn't in Jason's nature to say something like that... despair came close to overwhelming him. 

Billy came to his feet suddenly. He shook his head. "Sheena loves me. I love her. The others are my friends. I don't doubt that. This is just another test: another lie! I believe in my friends, and in my love. The love Sheena has for me, and I have for her. But even if this were real, and she'd left me for Adam, or anyone else: I'd want her and him to be happy. And if that happiness was with each other, then so be it. I want her to be happy more than I want her." 

The church and all within it vanished. He saw something gleam out of the corner of his eye. It was the rose, which he'd stuck into the loop of his belt. It was glowing! He smiled softly and kissed it gently. "I do love you, Sheena. Forever and always." 

_Congratulations, Billy._ The voice he'd almost expected came again._ True love is not selfish. True love gives, and in giving, grows. You have passed the test of love._

"Now what's next?" Billy asked. 

_You continue your quest._

"Who are you? And don't tell me a friend." 

_You will learn when you have completed your quest. Not until. _

Billy saw he was back in a cavern, and there was an opening on the far side, as usual. This was a progression, he saw. These tests might vary in length, but he could see the logic behind each one. Each tested one emotion, one quality that he supposed the mate of a Ranger, or a Ranger, should have. 

A Ranger? He considered the possibility for a moment. No, there weren't any more powers to be given out. And even so, he wasn't sure if he wanted them. All he wanted now was to be done with these tests and go home and marry Sheena. He remembered something that had been said back at the trial of honor. His parents would be somewhat upset that he'd brought a wife home out of nowhere... but if Sheena weren't his wife, but his girlfriend... they'd have time to get used to it. An idea came to him just then, and he stored it away until afterwards. 

Once more the cavern sealed itself behind him. He turned to see what the next trial was; if there was any hint. And stopped where he was. 

There were a number of paintings in front of him. Apparently this was one of those 'make the right choice' ones again. He examined the paintings. One was of Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, and he himself. The second was of all of them, and Tommy. The third showed Kim, Tommy, Adam, Aisha, Rocky, and himself. The fourth had Kat, but no Kim, and the others were unchanged. The fifth showed the Alien Rangers. The sixth displayed the Earth Rangers, but with Tanya, not Aisha, and he wasn't there either. The seventh had Tommy, Adam, Tanya, Rocky, Kat, and Jason, as did the eighth, only in this one, Sheena had joined them. In the ninth picture, he and Sheena stood together, hand in hand. 

He stopped before the tenth painting: it showed he himself alone. He looked at that one for a time, then turned back to the one that showed Sheena with him. He had no hints of what this was supposed to test... nothing to help him... the others had been relatively easy, but here. He confessed mentally to something very few had ever heard him say. He was stumped. 

He noticed that there was one area cordoned off with a velvet drapery over the wall like he'd seen in museums. He went over there and pulled the drapery back. He stared in wonder at it, then looked around. There were no other openings here anywhere. He wondered something. It seemed kind of silly, but that could be the way things worked here. He'd seen that the normal rules of physics he was used to didn't. 

Billy caught his fingers on the edge of the last painting and pulled himself up. Then he walked into it. He found himself in another cavern, which when he looked behind him, was just as featureless as all the others. He smiled briefly as he remembered what the last picture had been of, what had made him choose it. It had shown all the Rangers: Jason, Trini, Zack, Kim, Tommy, Adam, Aisha, Rocky, Kat, Tanya, Sheena, the Alien rangers, plus the Treys, Prince Dex, he himself, Zordon, and Alpha-5, with the Earth in the background. 

_Wise decision, Billy. You showed loyalty to your friends, not just one particular group of them, but to all those who have earned your trust and love. Such is the trial of loyalty._

"Thank you," he replied. The voice seemed quite pleased. "Are we almost done?" 

_You won't trick me that easily, Billy. It is safe to say I am at least as intelligent as you. _The voice seemed to be smiling. 

"Are you me?" he had to ask. 

_No. You will learn, as I said, when the trials are complete. Continue with them, warrior. You are almost there._

The new cavern was quite small, only a dozen paces across. Leaning against the far wall was a huge boulder. Billy went over and tapped on it. It was quite real and quite solid. No other openings, if these was even an opening, revealed themselves. 

"You know, you could give me some hints on what this test is supposed to be," he said aloud, hoping the voice would reply. Nothing happened, however, and he continued to stare at the boulder. It had to weigh several hundred pounds, much more than he'd ever tried to lift before. But if there was no other way out... 

He tried to move it. The boulder responded about as much as it would have if he had never touched it. He pushed again, exerting more force this time. The boulder didn't move an inch. Finally, he stood back and looked hard at the boulder. He bent down and looked at the base and laughed. He could have pushed at that thing from then until the end of time, and it wouldn't have moved! It was part of the floor itself! 

Then he stopped laughing. "How am I going to get out of here?" He began to examine the walls, ceiling, and floor, seeking any minute difference that would mean he'd found a path to escape. 

After what had to be an hour of searching, he located a tiny crack in the wall. He dug his fingers into it, finding it was larger than it looked. He pulled up with all his strength, so hard he fell on his rear. The wall, or rather a door in the wall, had moved, revealing a large hole behind it. Billy got to his feet, and peered through. He'd never looked through one of the openings, having only just went through them. 

"Nothing," he whispered. "There's nothing there." He looked behind him, then rushed ahead, just barely squeezing through the narrow opening. He heard the cavern collapse as he did so, and sighed a deep sigh of relief. Then he heard the same rumbling sound he had heard moments earlier. A quick glance to the ceiling showed him that this cavern was going to fall, too. 

Always when he'd completed a trial or cavern, the strange voice had spoken to him, telling him the trial he'd gone through. He heard nothing now. Had he failed? Or was the trial not over? His thoughts were interrupted by a small shower of pebbles from above and he leapt to his feet. The only opening he saw was to the right. Out of habit now, he glanced to the other side, in case this was a choice-test, but all he saw were falling rocks. 

"Time to go," he muttered, and got moving. He headed straight for the opening, knowing he had to be setting a world's record for the hundred yard dash. As he ran, the cavern fell in behind him, and he ran even faster to avoid the rocks. He darted through the opening just as the last bit of the cavern collapsed. 

He leaned against the wall as soon as it was a wall, trying to catch his breath. As he'd half-expected, the voice sounded in his mind. _ You are swift and strong, Billy, qualities to be expected in one such as you. You passed with flying colors the trial of strength of mind and body, and also the trial of speed, to escape the cavern's fall. But trials yet remain, and you must get to them._

"Can't I rest, just for a second?" he almost whined, then slowly pulled himself to his feet. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm tired." 

_I understand, believe me, though it has been long and long since I was capable of being tired. Take your rest for the moment, then continue the quest._

Billy chuckled at the voice's inadvertent rhyme, then leaned against the wall again. After a few moments of deep breathing and concentration, he felt his energies returning. 

"Now, what's next?" he wondered. He got to his feet and looked around. There was no trace of an exit from this one, but that didn't seem too important. He knew when he passed the trial of this cavern, an exit would appear. 

But what was the test? He started examining the area around him, but saw nothing. He spread out to the walls, but still nothing. Finally he stopped and sat down. He was getting very tired and he knew Sheena and the others had to be worried about him by now. He had been gone well over an hour already, and who knew how much longer the rest of the trials would take? 

He amused himself for a few minutes with thoughts of Sheena and how their lives together would be different than most couples. He was almost certain his parents had never had to worry about being called away from home to fight off impending alien monster attacks. 

He glanced up and kept on staring. He'd assumed this place had a solid roof, just as the others had... well, a roof anyway, remembering how the last few caverns had collapsed in on themselves. This one didn't, and there was a ledge only a few hundred feet up. 

"I guess the opening's up there... it's not down here, anyway," he mused. He walked to the nearest wall and examined it for handholds. He was disappointed; the wall was just as smooth as an egg. He looked up at the ledge and laughed. He went straight to the other wall, where the ledge was, and started climbing up the handholds he found there. 

"With luck, I should make it in time for our wedding," he grunted. "Our fiftieth wedding anniversary, that is," Billy grinned as he dragged himself up the cliff. When he reached the top, he searched for the exit. 

"I don't believe it," he stared across the cavern to a matching ledge, and to the opening he saw on the other side. The cavern had to be fifty feet across, at least. He _might_ be able to jump it; there was certainly room enough for a running start. He thought quickly, and realized that was his only chance. He certainly had no intentions of giving up. 

As he started to back up, he murmured, "I must find out who designed this course... so I can hurt them badly," he chuckled under his breath as he said this. It was getting on his nerves, though. He ran even faster than he had before when getting out of the falling cavern. He saw the ledge coming up and jumped, powering it with all the strength he had. Billy soared across the cavern and landed just barely on the other side. He teetered for a moment, losing his balance. He screamed as he fell in to the depths. 

A hand wrapped around his wrist and caught him. He felt himself being pulled up to the edge and dropped to his knees. He huddled there for a second, trying to catch his breath. "Thank you," he said, not looking at the person who had saved him. 

_It was my pleasure, Billy. You passed the trial of wisdom admirably: by knowing not just where to look for the handholds to get up here, but to find a way over here, when no other presented itself. _The voice was in his ears this time, but it was the same. He looked up into sapphire-blue eyes, and could just barely stop himself from staring. 

"Who are you?" he asked for the last time. 

_Don't you know me, grandson?_

"Grandson?" he looked oddly at the man. "Excuse me, but I don't remember seeing you at the family reunion." 

_Considering I'm roughly 15,000 years old, I would be very surprised if I'd been there as well. _The man didn't look much over thirty, if that much. _ Don't you recognize me?_

Billy looked harder at him, then started. "Silias! You're Silias! The Sapphire Ranger!" 

_Very good, Billy, _the ancient Ranger smiled. _ You have more than proven yourself worthy. _

"I'm glad." Billy was suddenly very tired. "Can I go to my wedding now?" 

_Not quite yet. _ Silias touched his shoulder. _You are courageous, honorable, loyal, strong, fast, and wise. You trusted in your love and in yourself and in your friends. These are all admirable qualities, but they are also more: these are the qualities of a Power Ranger._

"I was a Ranger," Billy grunted. 

_And will be again, _Silias smiled. _ I have looked long for one to pass the Sapphire Powers to, and now I have found you: the one of my line, the one chosen to be the new Sapphire Ranger, as Sheena was to be the new Silver Ranger._

"What do you mean?" A wild hope leaped up in his heart. 

_Just as I said: you are to be the new Sapphire Ranger. You earned the right when you passed the Trials._

"You said those were to marry Sheena!" Billy was suddenly angry. "If I had known-" 

_You would have passed the trials with greed, not love. That is the ultimate test, to pass without knowledge of what the trials truly mean. The test of faith: to do what is necessary, without giving up and without hope of the true reward. Tell me, if you had failed the trials, would you have married Sheena anyway?_

"Of course!" he snapped. "I love her!" 

_Then you have truly succeeded. _Silias smiled warmly. _ Now it is time._

"Time?" 

_Time for the ascension of the Sapphire Ranger. _Silias held out his hands and a gleaming dark blue crystal appeared in them. _It is your choice, Billy. You can choose not to, and I will wait for another. You know what it is to be a Ranger. You know the perils and the dangers. Choose, and choose wisely._

Billy stared at the crystal. Taking it meant taking on a responsibility he had willingly given up to take care of the Power Chamber and the Zords. He bit his lip. But it would also mean being with Sheena as she fought, making sure she was all right. 

What was he thinking? She was the strongest Ranger, and could certainly survive without him to guard her. He didn't have to take the Power. Then he took a deep breath and made his decision. 

"I would be honored to be the Sapphire Ranger, Silias," He took up the crystal and felt the energy flow through him. It felt... it felt good to have the Power again. He'd forgotten what it was like! The crystal was absorbed into him and he called out, "Sapphire Ranger Power!" 

He saw a costume shimmer into being about himself. He knew he wore a helmet, and unlatched it to examine it carefully. The design was that of his totem, the Wolf, only it seemed much fiercer and more powerful than his old one had been. 

_Your Zord is the Cave Wolf, primordial and powerful, silent and sure, wise and caring. _Silias smiled softly._ Come. It's time for you to be married._

"Silias... you are... dead aren't you?" 

_Yes, I am dead._ Silias became transparent between one heartbeat and the next. _When I died, I chose not to truly pass over, but to remain as a spirit, to be with Kahva and to wait, as she had, to pass my power to one I chose._

"When you see Kahva... could you tell her... thank you for me? If it wasn't for her, I would have never found Sheena." Billy looked nervous. 

_I understand, Billy._ Silias gestured, and a shining hole opened up in the air. _Step through. It leads to the Power Chamber._

Billy took a deep breath, then entered the gateway. He found himself standing in the Power Chamber, looking right into Sheena's green eyes. She stared. "Billy? Is that you? Morphed?" 

SILIAS? YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR SUCCESSOR, THEN? Zordon smiled. I KNEW IT WOULD NOT BE LONG, WHEN BILLY CHOSE NOT TO TAKE A ZEO POWER AND WHEN KAHVA APPEARED TO CHOOSE HER OWN SUCCESSOR. 

"You knew he was still around?" Billy stared up at Zordon. "Why didn't you say anything?" 

BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW IF YOU WERE TRULY BEING CONSIDERED TO TAKE ON THE SAPPHIRE POWERS, AND BECAUSE SILIAS ASKED ME NOT TO, Zordon chuckled. BUT NOW YOU HAVE PASSED THE TRIALS, AND FULFILLED YOUR DESTINY TO BECOME THE EIGHTH AND FINAL POWER RANGER: THE SAPPHIRE RANGER. WELCOME BACK TO THE TEAM. 

"He never left it," Jason found his voice. All the others were staring in awe. Silias cleared his throat, more for attention than anything else. 

_It's time for me to go,_ he said, already fading. _But one last thing... Sheena, hold out your hands._

Sheena did, and a moment later, a bouquet of silver-white roses and sapphire-blue geraniums filled them. "Thank you," she blushed a touch. "Thank you very much." 

Billy demorphed and found his suit was just as neat and clean has it had been before he'd left the Power Chamber for the roses. "Thanks for this too, grandfather." 

_Silias will do nicely, Billy. _ The ghost began to fade. _We'll meet again... someday._

Everyone looked at each other, then exchanged smiles as Silias vanished entirely. Sheena turned to Billy. "Are you ready to get married, or is there anything else you need to do first? Maybe save the world all by yourself this time?" 

"Nothing but this." Billy kissed her, then pulled away as Adam tapped his shoulder. 

"Billy, that part comes later. Shall we get this started?" 

They arranged themselves before Zordon, who looked benevolently down on them. IT HAS BEEN MANY EONS SINCE I LAST UNITED TWO BEINGS IN MARRIAGE. BILLY, SHEENA, YOU HAVE PROVEN YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER ALREADY. WILL YOU CONTINUE THAT LOVE FOREVER, HELPING EACH OTHER TO GROW, TO LEARN, AND TO BE STRONG? 

"I will," Sheena promised. 

"I will," Billy echoed. 

WILL YOU CARE FOR EACH OTHER, ALWAYS AND FOREVER, UNTIL THE VERY END OF TIME AND BEYOND? 

"I will," Sheena and Billy spoke together this time. 

WILL YOU STAND TOGETHER, AGAINST ALL THAT MIGHT TRY TO TEAR YOU APART, AND SEEK YOUR HAPPINESS UNITED, FOR ALL TIME? 

"Always and forever," Billy nodded. 

"For eternity." 

THEN I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU UNITED IN MARRIAGE, HUSBAND AND WIFE, FOREVER AND ALWAYS, Zordon announced. Everyone cheered and crowded around, clapping Billy on the back, hugging Sheena, and just generally doing what people do at weddings. The Aquitians, Dex, and the Treys all welcomed Sheena formally into her new role as the Silver Ranger and as Billy's wife. Cestro finally seemed to understand the meaning a wedding ceremony had for humans. 

"This isn't about ceremony at all, once you stop to think about it, is it, Billy?" Billy smiled and nodded to Cestro. "It's a confirmation of love and commitment, not only between you and Sheena, but between you and all of us. Of love for your soulmate and your friends, and their love and commitment to you, for all eternity." Cestro smiled at his friend, then turned to the Aquitian Rangers. "I think maybe we should consider adopting a wedding ceremony into our culture. Though perhaps the preparations could be simpler." Everyone laughed in agreement. The celebration continued for a while longer, then good-byes were said as the Aquitians, the Treys, and Dex all teleported back to their homes. The Rangers all looked at each other in dazed happiness. It had been a hectic twenty-four hours. 

Finally, someone asked Billy what he was going to do about his parents. 

"I'm going to introduce Sheena to them as my girlfriend," he explained the idea that had occurred to him in the caverns. "We'll let them get to know you, and get used to the idea of you being around. Then, in a few months, we can broach the idea of marriage to them, and have a second wedding, one everyone can attend." 

"How does a year from today sound? Then we can celebrate every year on the same day, and not confuse people," Sheena suggested. 

"Sounds good," Billy nodded. Then he pulled her close to him for another kiss. "Zordon, Alpha, do you suppose you could teleport us somewhere nice for a first honeymoon?" 

"How does Hawaii sound? I know a nice island no one will bother you on," Alpha suggested. 

"Excellent idea," Sheena nodded. "But before we go, Billy, you should do something." 

"What?" 

"Make a pair of communicators for us. We'll need to know if Mondo attacks while we're away." 

Billy agreed, and after another kiss, got to work. "After all, we might be married, but first and foremost, now and forever, we're..." 

He held out his hand and the others piled theirs on quickly, knowing what he wanted. For the first time ever, eight voices shouted out, "POWER RANGERS!" 

**To Be Continued**


	3. Decisions

**Decisions  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

It had been three days since Sheena and Billy's wedding: three days since Billy had become the Sapphire Ranger, and Mondo hadn't sent so much as a Cog down to attack. Sheena had told them everything she could remember from being under his power, but even so, that gave them no clues as to what he was doing now. 

"I've racked my brains a hundred times over, and still nothing." She shook her head in confusion as they all relaxed after a sparring session in the Youth Center. 

"It's not your fault. I'm sure he didn't fill you up with everything he was planning," Billy reassured her. "What do you remember, exactly?" 

"For the hundred and first time," she smiled. "I know the layout of the Skybase down to perfection. I could tell you where they keep the trash in that place if I really wanted to, which I don't, by the way. I know the history of the Rangers, as much as he does anyway. That helped fill in the gaps from what I knew from my world, too. Also, I have a fairly good idea of his boiling point, it doesn't take much to get him angry." 

As she recounted what she knew, she realized it didn't add up to much. "I wish I could be of more help to you guys." 

"You're a great help, Sheena," Tommy told her. At Sheena's request, he was going to take up her karate training. "And you're a great fighter." 

"Not as good as you are, Tommy," Sheena shook her head. 

"You've also not been training as long as he has, either," Jason reminded her. She smiled, looking around the table at her new friends. This was the first time she'd been in the Youth Center, and it was even more wonderful than she'd thought. 

"Hi, guys." A portly man in a Hawaiian shirt came up. "Who's your new friend?" 

"Hi, Ernie," the others chorused. Sheena almost hit herself; she should have recognized him! "Oh, Ernie, this is Sheena. She just moved to town," Billy introduced her. "Sheena, this is Ernie. He owns the Juice Bar." 

"Hi, Sheena," Ernie smiled at her and she managed to dredge up a return smile. 

"She and I have been dating for a couple of days," Billy grinned. Ernie's smile actually grew broader. 

"Well, it's good to meet you." Ernie patted Billy on the shoulder and leaned in closer. "Keep this one, Billy, she looks like she really likes you." 

Billy grinned as Ernie walked away. Sheena blushed and turned back to her friends. "This has got to be strange for you." Kat looked at her. "I mean, coming from where you do." 

"Yes, it is strange," Sheena nodded. "But it could be worse." 

"How?" Jason wondered. 

"I could still work for Mondo," she shivered, and they saw a flash of fear cross her eyes. 

"Sheena, are you all right?" 

"Yes, I'm fine, Tanya." Sheena knew she was lying. She'd hurt the Rangers while she was under Mondo's control. She'd kidnapped Billy and sworn her allegiance to the worst evil she'd ever seen. She'd woken up the past three nights just barely able to keep her screams from ripping out of her throat. The dreams were always the same: the potion still controlled her, and she destroyed the Rangers, starting with Billy. The dreams were almost real in their intensity. 

"Who's the new girl?" That voice... she shook off the memories and turned around to see Bulk and Skull coming up. She smiled at the look on their faces when they saw her. 

"Hi, guys." Tommy waved at them. "This is Sheena, Billy's girlfriend." 

"Detectives Bulkmeier and Skullovitch as your service, ma'am," Bulk grinned foolishly. Sheena smiled at them again, and they actually seemed to get more confused. "If you ever need detecting, we're the ones to call." 

"I'll remember that," she laughed gently at the expression on Skull's face. They left, and her thoughts almost immediately turned back to the gloomy trend they'd been on. Billy's voice jerked her back to reality. 

"Want to go meet my parents, Sheena?" 

"Billy, we've known each other all of three days," Sheena almost snapped at him. "I think it's a little early." 

"But I want you to meet them... and I want them to meet the woman I love." Billy touched her hand. She jerked away and got to her feet. 

"I'll see you later." She left the Juice Bar, her thick ponytail bouncing behind her. 

"What'd I say?" Billy wondered. He almost got up, before Tanya grabbed his arm. 

"Give her some time, Billy. I can tell she loves you, she just needs some time alone for something. Something she's not talking about is bothering her."

* * *

Sheena walked through the park, her thoughts churning. She hadn't meant to be so rude, to Billy of all people. But... she wasn't sure what she was thinking. She hadn't been sure of much since she'd heard her name ring to the rafters in Billy's voice. She saw a small copse of trees ahead of her, where no one would see her, and went there. This would be the perfect place for what she had in mind. 

She looked around and listened quietly. Everything was perfectly still here. That was what she wanted, stillness and quiet. She pulled her hair out of it's tie, letting it cascade down her back and to her knees. To anyone who knew Sheena well, as no one did in this world, her hair was a symbol of her mood. Tied back, she was serious and a 'business-like' frame of mind. But when she loosened it, she was relaxed, at ease, and perfectly content. 

She took four small birthday candles and a pack of matches out of her purse. Placing one candle at the four cardinal directions, she summoned the protective powers of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. The circle cast, she sat quietly in the center. Sealed off from the world by the circle, and sealed off from her confusion by the peace within it, she was finally able to think. She spoke softly, just loud enough so she could hear herself. "Who am I?" 

A voice, full of peace and power and promise, whispered into her thoughts. She wasn't afraid; she knew who it was. _You are Sheena Devereaux, adopted daughter of William and Anne Devereaux, descended in a straight line from Kahva Kilanye. You are twenty-one years old. You are the Silver Ranger. You are a witch, a priestess of the Goddess Isis._

"Why am I here?" 

_You are a Power Ranger. You are the Silver Ranger. Chosen and summoned from the world of your upbringing, to return to the world of your birth, that those who are descended from those who fought with your ancestor might at last have a full team of warriors._

"What do I hate?" 

_What you did under Mondo's influence. The crimes you committed while that potion coursed through your veins. The pain you caused those you know now as your friends, beloved, and allies._

"Who do I love?" 

_Billy. The Rangers. Zordon. Alpha. Your family and friends back where you grew up._

"What do I do?" 

_What you have always dreamed of doing. Defend this world from all who would harm it. In the name of the cause of good, and for the powers of right._

"Thank you, Sheena." She smiled softly. 

_You are welcome, Sheena._

Sheena felt at peace again. The tangled webs that had been her thoughts were now smooth and at ease. Speaking with her inner spirit had that effect on her. She closed her eyes and meditated. For hours all she heard was her own breathing and heartbeat. 

Her thoughts drifted slowly over the events of the past three days, sliding back to just when she and Billy had returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii. . ..

* * *

"Sheena, what's wrong?" Billy had been surprised to learn he could sense her moods already; normally bonds like theirs took years to develop to that point. Then, he thought, they'd had years to develop it. . .just not years together. 

"I was just thinking," they were getting ready to go get her things from her apartment. "I don't have a place to live now. I can't stay where I was. . .I need to find a place here in Angel Grove." 

Billy nodded. He, Sheena, Kat, Tanya, and Tommy were all going to Sheena's old apartment to clear out her things. "We'll find you a place somewhere. There's lots of apartments and places for rent around here." 

"Well, we need to get my things first," Sheena grinned. "You guys ready?" Nods answered her. 

They teleported to an alley near Sheena's old apartment building and walked in normally. Sheena told her landlady she was moving out that day, and that her friends were there to help her out. 

"Where have you been the past two days, young lady?" the landlady smiled at her. "Off with some new boyfriend?" 

Sheena blushed, and took Billy's hand. "Yeah. . . this is him, by the way. Billy Cranston." 

The landlady leaned a bit closer to Sheena and whispered, "Quite a catch there, don't let him slip away." 

Sheena giggled. "I have no intentions of doing that!" 

As they drew closer to Sheena's apartment, they heard strange sounds like things smashing and breaking. A thin thread of fear ran down Sheena's spine as the sounds got louder the closer they came to her apartment. She threw open the door to see Cogs everywhere, destroying everything in sight. 

"NO!" Sheena screamed, as one of the Cogs smashed the photo of her friends. As the Rangers ran in, the Cogs vanished, all but one, who threw a small scroll at Sheena, then left with his friends. Sheena dropped to her knees, staring at the devestation that had once been her home. 

"Sheena?" Billy knelt beside her. 

"They wrecked everything," she whispered. "This was all I had for a year. . this was my home. And it's gone." 

"Sheena," Tommy dropped to her other side. "We'll help you find what's not broken. . they couldn't have gotten to everything. . .it'll be all right." 

Sheena looked up at her newfound cousin and her husband, a smile making it's way through her tears. "Thanks, guys." 

As they cleaned up the mess and sorted through everything, Sheena found more memories than she'd dreamed of with every item. From the simplest cups and saucers that had held her meals for the past year, to when Tanya shook something out of some broken glass and held it out to her, everything conjured up images of the past. 

"Are you going to keep this, Sheena? The frame was smashed, but the picture's all right," Sheena glanced at the picture, and took it gently. 

"I could never get rid of this," she sighed. "These are my friends. From where I grew up." 

She touched the image of each face gently, wonderingly. She realized the odds were extremely low she'd ever see them again. "Who are they?" it was Billy. 

"This is Melissa," she touched one of the faces lightly. "She lived closest to me when we were growing up, and I've known her the longest of them all." One of the boys. "This is Josh. He was the first guy I ever had as a friend. He and I swore to be as brother and sister to each other." She told them a little bit about each of her friends, then quietly slipped the picture into her purse. 

"I miss them," she said simply. "They were my family and more than my family for years, since my mom died. My dad was busy working, he didn't have much time to really be with me as much as he wanted to. But my friends were there for me. . .all of them." her voice almost cracked on the last three words, and they could all see tears once more springing to her eyes. Just as Billy moved to hold her, she shook her head and wiped her eyes. "Come on, we've got to get finished with this stuff." 

As they worked, Kat found the scroll the Cog had tossed, but that none of them had noticed. Sheena's name was on the outside of it. Kat handed it to the Silver Ranger, saying, "The Cogs left this. . .must be from Mondo." 

With fingers that trembled in outrage, Sheena unrolled the scroll. As she read, her eyes burned with suppressed rage. "What did he have to say?" Tommy asked gently. 

Sheena read it aloud, her voice shaking with fury. "My Silver Ranger, I do hope this finds you in ill health and sorrow at having everything you own destroyed. If you hadn't betrayed me, this would not have happened. You brought this on yourself, dear girl, and this is only the beginning. I will not rest until you are either dead or mine again, and until the other Rangers have fallen: beginning with that blasted Sapphire Ranger. Yes, I know of that ex-Ranger now having power again, thanks to his ancestor. This simply makes things more interesting for all concerned, but rest assured that in the end, I will win. Your true master, King Mondo of the Machine Empire." 

Billy took the scroll from her and tore it into tiny pieces, but they all knew that didn't change anything. Sheena stood still for a few moments, looking around at what had happened because of her awakening to her full nature as the Silver Ranger: a warrior for good. She quietly walked over to a small table and lit a candle. She stood there for a few minutes, saying nothing aloud. 

The others quietly finished packing up her things, not daring to disturb her. Billy could sense her seething anger, and knew that whatever she was doing, it was calming her down considerably. Finally, she extinguished the candle and turned back to the others. "It was worth it." Sheena said softly. 

Tanya and Kat exchanged confused glances. Billy nodded his understanding, but Tommy shook his head. "What do you mean?" 

"Mondo's note. He said this was because I left him. But it's a small price to pay for being free. . .and for being where I belong: with you guys." 

Three perplexed faces cleared, while Billy came over to hug her. "Oh, Sheena, I love you," he whispered as he held her tightly. "I'll always love you." 

"And I, you," she told him. "Come on. . .let's get back to Angel Grove. Let's go. . home." 

After going back to the same alley they'd appeared in, they teleported straight back to the Power Chamber. But instead of appearing in the room they always had, they found themselves in what appeared to be a bedroom. The other Rangers were sitting there, smiling at their confused friends. 

"What is this?" 

"Your new home, Sheena," Adam told her. "We saw the Cogs trashing your things on the Viewing Globe, but couldn't do anything about it. So Zordon showed us this area of the Power Chamber: the private quarters. Your private quarters to be precise. You've got a bedroom, shower, a kitchen. . .everything you need to have a great place to live." 

Sheena smiled for what seemed to be the first time in hours. Paying off the damages the Cogs had done to her apartment had taken the last of her money, and she'd been quietly worried about how she was going to pay for a new one. 

"Thanks, Zordon," she found her way to the main section and thanked their mentor. "Thanks so much." 

IT WAS THE LEAST WE COULD DO, SHEENA, the ancient wizard-warrior told her. NO THANKS ARE NECESSARY. 

Sheena smiled at him, then returned to setting up her new home.

* * *

Her memories slowly drew Sheena back to the present, and when she finally opened her eyes, the sun was close to setting. She'd been here almost since noon. "I better go talk to Billy," she muttered as she rose smoothly to her feet. "He'd better find out I still love him, and always will." 

"That's so sweet, it's almost sickening, Silver Ranger," a voice she'd been afraid of hearing for three days said. She looked up to see Mondo and a small army of Cogs standing just outside her circle. She half-smiled. The circle was meant to protect her from all evil, and she had the sneaking suspicion the Machine King couldn't cross her barrier. 

"What do you want, Mondo?" She flexed her fingers nervously. 

"What I always want: the destruction of the Power Rangers." She would have sworn Mondo looked at the candles. "I want you to help me." 

"You have got to be kidding," she laughed. "Sorry, Mondo, but I will never turn against my friends. Never." 

"You will serve me again, Silver Ranger," Mondo predicted. "Of that I have no doubt." 

Sheena reached into her pocket and pulled out her hair tie. Carefully, deliberately, she tied her hair back. She ran her fingers gently past the silver rose earrings she wore, then smiled coldly at Mondo. "About your... 'job offer'..." 

"Yes?" He looked almost eager. 

"Forget it. I work for Zordon and with the Power Rangers, now and forever." She whirled, crying out, "Silver Ranger Power!" as she did so. She landed both morphed and facing the Cogs who had knocked the candle behind her down, breaking her protective circle. 

"You Cogs never can be quiet," she laughed, then went into battle as the Cogs surged towards her. 

"Take her alive," Mondo ordered as he stepped back to let the Cogs that had stood with him join the fight. "And don't let her call for help." 

"Great idea. The calling for help part, that is." Sheena was surrounded by Cogs, but she'd already planned her escape from that little situation. She leapt straight up into the air, and at the top of her leap, actually held still! She could do this only for a few seconds, though; defying gravity was hard. She spoke into the communicator Billy had made for her. "Guys, I'm under Cog attack in the park! I need help!" 

She was already going back down, and angled herself to take out four Cogs at once. "We're on the way, Sheena." It was Billy who responded. She was going to have to talk to him, she knew. Well, at least she was ready for the discussion now. 

She exploded back into the battle as she kicked, punched, and threw Cogs every which way. Suddenly, she heard a welcome sound: the voices of her friends and husband as they morphed. 

"Mess with one Ranger, you'd better be prepared to take on the whole team," Tommy told the Machine King as they fought off the Cogs. Sheena and Billy found themselves fighting back to back. 

"Hey, Billy," she yelled as she ducked under a Cog's punch. 

"Yes, dear?" he asked. 

"I'll go meet your parents tomorrow, if you like. I'm ready now." Sheena kicked a Cog in the stomach. 

"Thanks." Billy threw a Cog into a tree. "What was wrong with you earlier?" 

"Tell you about it in a few, when we're done with this." She channeled the rage she'd been feeling earlier into her fists, and almost dismantled a Cog with one hit. "Hey, that was fun!" 

The Cogs vanished, and as one, the Rangers turned to face Mondo. "Get out of here, Mondo, unless you want to wind up scrap metal like your Cogs." 

"Right," the others nodded their agreement with Jason. 

Mondo was staring at the Sapphire Ranger. "I didn't want to believe it. . .but you are a Ranger again!" 

Billy came to stand beside Sheena. "Indeed I am. Now you've got eight Rangers to deal with!" 

"We'll meet again, Power Rangers," Mondo threatened, then vanished. 

"I'm sure of it," Sheena laughed. A great weight seemed to have been taken from her. 

"Sheena, what were you doing here?" Tommy asked, looking at the half-burned candles. She began to gather them up. 

"It was a protection circle," she told him. "I'm a witch. I worship a Goddess. It's been my religion since I was a little girl. It's been one of the few constants in my life." 

"I've read a little about that sort of stuff," Adam nodded briefly. "If I recall, the only real rule you live by is, "Do what you will, but don't hurt anyone," right?" 

She slipped the candles back into her purse and agreed. "How can you fight, then? Mondo, that is?" 

"Because if I don't, then a lot of people, a lot of innocent people, are going to get hurt. Protecting the innocent is also part of witchcraft. That's one thing I was doing here." Sheena sat down and the others joined her. "I needed to think a few things through. I had to be sure that being here, being with you guys, is what I want to do." 

"And?" Tanya had to ask. 

"It is," she smiled softly. "I had to be sure, though. Billy," she turned to him. "I love you, Billy. I always have, and I always will. But I had a lot on my mind earlier. I'm sorry if I snapped at you. I also haven't had a chance to think since we left the Skybase. I needed this time, and I should have just told you that." 

"It's all right." He looked as if he wanted to kiss her, but he visibly held back. Sheena grinned, and kissed him instead. "We all need time to ourselves sometimes. All you had to say was that." 

"I know that... now." Sheena hugged Billy, then looked slyly at the others. "Could you give us some time to ourselves, please?" 

The others fell all over themselves trying to get out of the copse. Before they parted, Tanya spoke. "Billy and Sheena really have something special, don't they?" 

"I want to see the looks on the faces of all those girls Billy used to date when those two announce their 'engagement'," Tommy chuckled. "They're going to want to attack Sheena en masse." 

"In a five-to-one fight, over Billy," Kat laughed. "I'd put my money on Sheena every time."

* * *

The next day, Billy was every bit as nervous about Sheena meeting his parents as Sheena had been about meeting the Rangers in person. They had worked out a good story for her to tell his parents about her background and their first meeting. He adjusted his collar one last time as he heard Sheena's distinctive step on the sidewalk. She paused for a moment, and he couldn't resist peeking out the window. 

She stood looking at the bushes, a strange expression on her face. He could only describe it as regret and love mixed. Then he remembered that where she was gazing was where she'd hidden to kidnap him just days earlier. He watched her quietly. She shook her head, then a smile curved her lips as she looked up at the window. 

"I love you," she whispered, knowing he would read her lips. 

"I love you, too," he told her. She smiled and walked up to the door. 

"You must be Sheena." Billy's mom answered her knock. Sheena had dressed neatly in a silver-tinted shirt and jeans, with her hair brushed out and gleaming on her shoulders, unbound. Her two rings flashed on her hands, and Billy could hardly contain his love for her. 

"Yes, Mrs. Cranston," she smiled and shook hands. "I'm glad to meet you." 

As the two women entered the living room, Mr. Cranston was waiting for them. "This is Sheena, dear," Billy's mom introduced her. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Sheena shook his hand as well. She made small talk, filling them in on the story she and Billy had concocted. 

Billy came downstairs a few minutes later, and smiled at her. She nodded back to him. "Mom, Dad, I hope Sheena hasn't been boring you?" 

"Never!" Mr. Cranston had obviously already been charmed by Sheena's impeccable manners. "So, where are you two going tonight?" 

"To the movies," Billy told them. "There's a great new one playing tonight, _Attack of the Mutant Toaster._" 

"Kids," Mr. Cranston shook his head, smiling. "Well, have fun, you two!" 

Their communicators beeped in unison, and Sheena covered for them in a heartbeat. "Oh, that's my watch alarm. We've got ten minutes to get to the theater, Billy. We'd better run." 

"Right." He'd been a Power Ranger for four years and hadn't come up with an excuse that fast when parents were involved. They both got up and headed for the door. Billy's mom stopped him briefly. 

"She's lovely, Billy, and I like her a lot," she smiled at her son. "Even if she is older than you." 

"I like her too, Mom." Billy felt a whole lot of tension fade. "Age doesn't really make a difference, and it's only three years, after all." 

"True," his dad nodded. "I'm four years older than your mom." 

"Eric!" Billy's mom admonished. "Billy and Sheena aren't getting married!" 

_Well, we are and we aren't. We have been married four days now, and we're going to have an official wedding in about a year. _Billy thought about just saying it, then decided not to. He could see Sheena waiting for him, tapping her foot impatiently. "I've got to go, Mom, Dad, we're going to be late. I'll be home late tonight, I think." 

A few moments later, two streaks of light, one silvery-white, one dark blue, flashed across the sky. Billy's mom saw them, and smiled briefly. "Good luck, kids. Teach Mondo not to mess with the Power Rangers. Especially not with my son." 

**To Be Continued**


	4. Transitions

**Transitions  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

"Hey, Kimberly, you got a letter from home. Looks like a long one. Must be from that ex of yours." The thick envelope came soaring into Kimberly Hart's room and landed on her bed. She looked up from where she was doing her exercises and shook her head. Who would write her from Angel Grove? After she'd broken up with Tommy, she would have thought none of them wanted to talk to her again. 

She took a look at the letter, then snatched it up. She couldn't have read that right. But the writing didn't change. It was a handwriting she knew as well as she knew her own. It was Jason. She sat down and tore the letter open, wondering what he was doing back in Angel Grove. 

Almost half an hour later, she looked up, her mind swimming with information. A Gold Ranger... Jason the Gold Ranger. A woman from another universe, a Silver Ranger... Billy being married! She smiled. She could hardly imagine Billy married, but it seemed it was so. From what Jason said, they were an excellent match, and were quite obviously (and sometimes nauseatingly) in love. 

"I've got about a week of vacation," she studied the calendar. "I think I'll take it in Angel Grove."

* * *

Billy and Rocky appeared in the Power Chamber's living quarters. "Sheena?" Billy called out. "Are you here?" 

She didn't appear to be. "Where do you suppose she is?" 

"How would I know? I mean, you're her husband and everything," Rocky teased. "You guys have that psychic bond, right?" 

"Yes." Billy sounded a touch exasperated. 

"What's wrong?" 

Billy shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. Sheena and I are having some problems, that's all." 

"Problems? The perfect couple? Billy, touching you broke a spell over her. I didn't think you guys could have problems." 

"It's just, well," Billy sighed. "She's been spending more and more time here in the Power Chamber and less and less time with me. Whenever we see each other, it's like it was when we were first married. But we don't see each other like we did then." 

"I know, you two were inseparable. I couldn't even see daylight between you most of the time." 

A muffled shout sounded just then, and both the Blue and Sapphire Rangers headed for the sound. It turned out to come from the workout room, a place where the Rangers could practice their skills at odd hours or when they wanted privacy for something. Slowly, Billy opened the door and they looked inside. 

Sheena was on the mat, a sword in her hands. Her long dark hair was tied back from her face in her usual style, and her green eyes were intent. The way she moved was liquid, beautiful. She was doing what appeared to be a kata of some type, but it was one neither of them had ever seen. They could only watch in awe as she moved.

Sheena bent, swayed, and whirled, the sword moving in precise patterns that somehow seemed to deviate what metal should be able to do, even in the hands of a master warrior. It was impossible to describe how flawless and beautiful she was as she danced around the training area. She didn't seem to notice them, or if she did, it didn't interfere with her training trance. 

When she drew to a halt, she was facing them with a proud, triumphant grin on her face. She leapt off the mat and came towards them, a fire in her eyes that even Billy had never seen before. "What did you think?" 

"It was-it was-" Rocky stammered, not able to form a coherent answer. Billy filled in, "Fantastic!" 

Sheena actually blushed. She turned to hang up her sword, then threw herself into Billy's arms. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure I was good enough to use it. That's why I've been spending so much time here lately. I was training in _ki-see_." 

"In what?" 

"_Ki-see_. That's what I was doing. It's Old Eltaran, and means something like," she closed her eyes, trying to remember. 

IT MEANS DANCE OF LIGHT, Zordon supplied. His voice could be heard from anywhere in the Power Chamber complex. IT IS THE OLDEST OF MARTIAL ARTS FROM MY HOMEWORLD. NO OTHER POWER RANGER HAS STUDIED IT BEFORE. IT SHOULD BE QUITE A SURPRISE TO KING MONDO AND HIS COGS. 

Sheena nodded. "I found out about it about three months ago, when I was browsing through some history files. There were extensive training tapes, and I studied them all. It absolutely fascinated me. I started training at once. Zordon and Alpha have helped me as much as they can. I wanted it to be a surprise for you guys." 

"Well, I was surprised," Billy said. Sheena turned her face to him, and they lost each other in a deep, passionate kiss. Finally, Rocky cleared his throat, and they stepped apart. 

"Sheena, I came to ask if you wanted to go to the movies with Jason and Emily tonight." They started to head for Sheena's quarters. 

"He finally got up the nerve to ask her out?" Sheena chuckled. "I thought I was going to have to hit him over the head with a board to get him to notice she liked him." 

"It didn't go quite that far," Rocky laughed. 

"Now you," Sheena appraised the Blue Ranger. "You I wouldn't have to hit with the board. You think all the girls like you!" 

"Who, me?" Rocky affected innocence. 

"Just cause you wear blue now does not mean you're the 'Girl-Magnet of Angel Grove'," Sheena teased him, referring back to when Billy was the Blue Ranger, and had attracted almost any girl who took the time to look beyond his glasses. 

"But blue's such a handsome color," he teased back.

"I prefer," Sheena wrapped an arm around Billy, "sapphire myself. I'd love to go to the movies. When?" 

Billy checked his watch. "In about an hour." 

"I'd better start getting ready then. I look horrible." 

"Not from this view," Billy examined her. "You look perfect." 

Rocky rolled his eyes, but said nothing as Sheena went to the room Zordon had given her in the Power Chamber. It had come as a surprise to them all that the Power Chamber had sleeping quarters, much less that Zordon let the Silver Ranger stay there. But her apartment had been devastated by Cogs, once when she'd led them there in the search for her Crystal, while she'd still been under Mondo's control, and again after she'd escaped his power. Mondo had apparently taken some petty revenge by trashing everything Sheena owned. 

Feeling guilty over it, Sheena had paid her ex-landlord for all the damages, and managed to pass the whole thing off as a case of mistaken identity before moving to Angel Grove. She hadn't had enough money to get another apartment, so Zordon had opened up the Power Chamber to her. She and Billy were hoping to be able to get a place of their own once they were 'officially' married. 

"Billy," Rocky asked tentatively. "What's it like to be in love?" 

The Sapphire Ranger looked at his friend, his brow furrowed. "Why do you ask?" 

"Just curious." 

Billy grinned. "I don't think that's quite the reason, but as for being in love... 'it's wonderful' doesn't begin to describe it. I wouldn't trade this for anything." 

Suddenly a booming voice filled the room again. BILLY, SHEENA, ROCKY, PLEASE COME TO THE MAIN CHAMBER AT ONCE. WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY. 

Sheena's door flew open, and she came out, her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was efficient about changing, and already wore her customary blue jeans and silver-tinted blouse. "What are you two waiting for? Let's go." 

"Were you going to wear that on our date?" Billy asked as they headed for the Power Chamber. 

"No," she almost snapped. "I threw this on when Zordon called." As the three of them emerged into the main room, they saw that the other five Rangers were already there. "What's going on, Zordon?" Sheena asked. 

MONDO HAS SENT A MONSTER TO EARTH, RANGERS, CALLED THE DECHARGER. IT IS CAPABLE OF DRAINING THE ENERGY FROM ANY HUMAN, EVEN FROM YOU, AND IS CURRENTLY WREAKING HAVOC AT THE ANGEL GROVE POWER PLANT. YOU MUST STOP IT BEFORE IT DRAINS EVERYONE THERE. 

"On the way, Zordon!" Tommy looked at the Rangers. "It's morphin' time!" 

"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!" 

"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!" 

"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!" 

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!" 

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!" 

"Sapphire Ranger Power!" 

"Gold Ranger Power!" 

"Silver Ranger Power!" 

The eight Rangers arrived at the power plant. Tommy glanced around. Things were quiet there. Almost too quiet. "Sheena, take Adam, Tanya, and Rocky and check things out on that side of the plant. The rest of us will see what's going on over on the other side." 

"Sure thing, Tommy," Sheena started off with her team. Tanya edged up to her as they got out of sight of the others. 

"Sheena, aren't you worried about Billy?" 

"Why should I be? He's been a Ranger longer than any of us. He can take care of himself." 

"Well, sure, but," Tanya wasn't sure how to frame her thoughts. A moment later, she didn't have to worry about it. 

"Cogs!" Adam pointed. Under her helmet, Sheena bit her lip. Fear and a lust for revenge both boiled up inside of her. She immediately locked down both under _ki-see_ discipline. The machines ran towards them, and she began to recite the ancient litany of ki-see under her breath as she fought, entering the same half-trance she had been training in. 

_A ki-see warrior does not fight with her body. She fights with her mind. Discipline, dispassion, and dedication are the hallmarks of a true ki-see warrior. See the mistakes your foes make and turn them against them. They have no minds, no souls. A warrior of the ki-see is a master of using body, mind, soul, and heart as one._

As the litany ended, Sheena emerged from her trance. The other Rangers were staring at her, especially Rocky. The Cogs had all been reduced to spare parts. 

"It's _ki-see_," she told them. 

"It's awesome!" Tanya breathed. 

On the other side of the plant, Billy stopped suddenly. Tommy looked at him. "What's wrong?" 

"Sheena and the others were attacked by Cogs." Billy closed his eyes for a second, sensing first Sheena's fear, then her intense joy as she used her new skills against the Cogs. "They're going to be all right, though. Sheena's using _ki-see_." 

"What's that?" 

"An ancient martial arts style. I'll see if she'll show it to you sometime." 

"You have no time left to see anything, Rangers, except me destroying you!" a metallic voice laughed. They turned to see a huge robot with several long metallic tentacles lumbering towards them. 

"That must be the Decharger," Kat said. 

"My, but you're a bright one! Let's see how smart you are when it comes to me draining your energy from you!" The Decharger leapt towards Kat and wrapped her in its 'arms'. 

The Pink Ranger glowed as the energy began to leave her body and entered the Decharger. Tommy drew his Zeo Sword and charged the monster, forcing it to drop Kat. She lay on the ground, trying to catch her breath. The Decharger turned on Tommy, its tentacles wrapping around the Red Ranger.

Tommy bit back a scream of pain as he felt his energy leaving him. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the monster dropped him. He fell to the ground, trying to recover, and looked up to see Sheena standing between him and the monster, the Silver Sword in her hands. 

"You'll pay for stealing my friends' energy, Decharger!" 

"Yours will taste just as sweet as his, Silver Ranger!" The Decharger reached for her, but she wasn't there anymore. Sheena catapulted over the monster and kicked it in the back. The Decharger recovered quickly, only to find himself surrounded by six Rangers. 

"Tommy, Kat, you guys better get back to the Power Chamber," Billy advised. "I think we can handle this creep." 

"Good idea." It went against the grain for Tommy to leave a battle, but he trusted his fellow Rangers. He and Kat vanished in respective flashes of red and pink. 

"Now what do we do?" Adam asked. 

"Let's try this for starters." Sheena launched herself at the monster with a _ki-see_ scream. The Decharger vanished just as she would have landed in it, with a maniacal laugh. Sheena turned her leap into a roll, coming to her feet and sheathing her sword in the same motion. She turned around. 

"Where'd it go?" 

"It just... vanished." Rocky looked around. "That's strange. It's not like Mondo to retreat." 

"Unless he's got a plan in mind," Sheena frowned. "Alpha, are there any readings of the Decharger around here anywhere?" 

"No, Sheena, it seems to have vanished," Alpha's voice came over her communicator. 

"We'd better get back to the Power Chamber." Sheena looked around one last time. Something wasn't right here. "We can get back in a flash if the monster shows up again." 

The sense of 'not rightness' preyed on Sheena's mind as they teleported back to the Power Chamber. Tommy and Kat would be all right, Alpha reported, once they got some rest. There were no signs of the monster; so Zordon dismissed them all until it showed up again.

* * *

"What's wrong, Sheena?" Billy asked later that night at the movies. "You act like your mind's a million miles away." 

"Not quite that far," she muttered. "I can't get my mind off that monster. There was something about the way it just - just left. Something I can't put my finger on." 

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Emily leaned over Jason to ask. Sheena reacted with lightning speed, draping an arm about Billy. 

"Oh, nothing important," she grinned in a fashion Emily seemed to understand. Sheena brushed her lips past Billy's, then murmured, "We can talk about it later." 

"How much later?" he whispered, returning the kiss with equal passion. 

"Just later." 

Emily looked over at them, then looked away. "How long have they been dating?" 

"Oh, about six months now," Jason said innocently. 

"And they're that serious?" Emily looked impressed. 

"You might say, love at first sight." Jason turned his attention back to the movie.

* * *

The next day, Tommy and Kat both felt much better. They were at the Juice Bar, watching as Sheena demonstrated the basics of _ki-see_ to the other Rangers. He glanced over at Kat. "She's good, isn't she?" 

"Real good," Kat agreed. "So, where do you want to go tonight?" 

"How about the park?" he suggested. "A nice quiet evening star-gazing." 

"Sounds like fun to me." 

Neither Tommy or Kat saw the figure who entered the Juice Bar just then. When Ernie saw who it was, he grinned. "Welcome back!" 

"Shhh, I want it to be a surprise." 

"You want the usual?" 

"Sure." There was a vacancy at the table where Kat and Tommy sat. The newcomer turned to see who they were looking at, and saw a tall, dark-haired woman on the practice mat, going through a graceful martial arts routine. Billy stood near the woman, a look in his eyes that couldn't be mistaken for anything but true and pure love. 

The new arrival sat casually in the empty seat. "So, who's the new girl?" 

"Sheena Devereaux," Tommy replied automatically. "She and Billy are really close, Kim." He turned suddenly as his ears heard what his mouth had said. "Kim!" 

The ex-Pink Ranger laughed at the expression on his face. "Hi, guys!" 

"Kim!" Kat hugged her friend. "It's been a long time!" 

"So I see," Kim grinned. She examined Tommy for a few seconds, then said, "When do I get to meet this new Ranger?" That last was spoken in an undertone. "And what is that she's doing?" 

"_Ki-see_. I'll let her explain it, she knows more about it," Kat told her. "I'll go get them." 

She headed for the gym area, leaving Tommy and Kim by themselves. "So uh, Kim, how are you?" 

"Good." She looked at him. "I uh, heard you and Kat were going out?" 

"Yeah, yeah." Tommy suddenly didn't know what to do with himself. "Look, Kim, it's not like she's your replacement or anything. I just like her." 

Kim was about to say something else when the rest of the gang joined them. Sheena looked a little nervous. Kim could understand why. "You must be Sheena. Hi, I'm Kim." 

Sheena blushed almost as red as Tommy's shirt. "Hi. Yes, I'm Sheena. It's an honor to meet you." 

"Well, I'm honored to meet you." Kim did all she could to put the young woman at ease. "It's not everyone who goes through what you did." 

"I had help," Sheena managed to sit somehow. "Oh, Goddess, do you know how awkward this is! It was bad enough seeing Billy in person, but you-," 

Billy sat next to her. "Calm down, Sheena. Breathe." 

Kim was glad Jason had explained everything about Sheena's origins to her in his letter, otherwise she would have been very confused. Finally, Sheena looked at her again. "Let's start this over." Her voice was much calmer this time around. "Hi, I'm Sheena." 

"Hi, I'm Kim." They both broke apart laughing; it was obvious that these two would be good friends. 

"How long are you down for?" Tanya asked. This was really the first time she'd met Kim as well, though she'd heard about her from the other Rangers. 

"A week," Kim replied. "You must be Tanya." 

"If I must, I must," Tanya grinned. Suddenly their communicators beeped. "Oh, great," Kim groaned. "I remember what that means." 

They went to the usual spot, and Tommy answered the call. "What is it, Zordon?" 

THE DECHARGER HAS APPEARED AGAIN, THIS TIME IN DOWNTOWN ANGEL GROVE. YOU MUST MORPH AND BATTLE IT AGAIN. KIMBERLY, WELCOME BACK, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. WE WILL TELEPORT YOU TO THE POWER CHAMBER DURING THIS ATTACK, IN CASE MONDO HAS ANY IDEAS WHILE THE RANGERS ARE AWAY. 

"Thanks, Zordon." That thought had crossed Kim's mind when she'd decided to visit. She felt the familiar grip of teleporting, then was in a place unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Alpha was there, and Zordon. They were a welcome sight indeed. 

WELCOME TO THE POWER CHAMBER, KIMBERLY. Zordon smiled. YOU MAY WATCH THE RANGERS ON THE VIEWING GLOBE. 

She looked around for it, then Alpha pointed to the new one on the wall. "Much more convenient, but it does give the Rangers a sore neck after a while." 

She laughed, then watched as the Rangers fought the Decharger. It had grabbed hold of Adam this time, and Rocky was busy trying to get him out of its grip. Billy and Tanya were keeping it occupied, to give Rocky more of a chance to get Adam out of there. The others were busy fighting Cogs that had come along with the monster. Just when Rocky managed to pry Adam loose, the Decharger vanished, as did the Cogs. 

"Any signs of it this time, Zordon?" Tommy wondered. 

NO, TOMMY. RETURN TO THE POWER CHAMBER FOR DEBRIEFING. Zordon told them. With Rocky supporting Adam, they teleported back home. In the Power Chamber, Kim turned to welcome them back. Billy went to Adam's side at once, guiding him to an examining table. "I'll be all right," the Green Ranger assured them. 

YOU MUST REST, ADAM. RANGERS, THIS CONCERNS ME. IT APPEARS THE DECHARGER COULD BE PLANNING TO USE YOUR OWN ENERGY AGAINST YOU AT SOME POINT. THAT IS WHY HE IS TAKING IT FROM YOU DURING YOUR BATTLES, AND NOT FROM THE PEOPLE SURROUNDING YOU. 

"You're probably right, Zordon," Sheena nodded. "What gets me is he keeps vanishing and reappearing. Like he's trying to draw us out. He knows we can't just let him tear up the city." 

"Right," Tommy nodded. "So we'd better be careful."

* * *

In the Skybase, the Decharger stood with Mondo, Machina, and Sprocket. "Excellent, Decharger. You're wearing them down and confusing them. Keep up the hit and run attacks for a few more days. They won't know what hit them!" 

"As you wish, my lord," the Decharger bowed. "They will soon fall before your might!" 

"You are a fine warrior, Decharger," Mondo approved of him. "The Rangers will soon be no more!"

* * *

"Does the Decharger have to touch someone to drain their energy from them?" Tanya asked. 

FROM ALL OUR REPORTS, YES, Zordon told them. 

"Maybe if we can avoid getting caught, or tie his arms up so he couldn't touch us," Sheena suggested. 

Tommy nodded. "But we can't do anything until the Decharger comes back." 

Kim looked at him suddenly. "Tommy, we need to talk. Now." 

Tommy looked almost like a trapped animal when he heard that. "I think you're right, Kim," Kat nodded. 

"Teleport us to the park, please, Alpha," Kim suggested. Alpha flipped a switch at the console, and they vanished in red and white light.

* * *

She hoped it was mere coincidence. After all, surely Zordon and Alpha hadn't seen every place she and Tommy had ever gone, back when they were dating. But it made Kim a little uneasy that she and Tommy had just happened to appear in the same area of the park where Tommy had first worked up the nerve to kiss her. That was so long ago... 

"So, um, you said we need to talk?" Tommy was fidgeting like someone who was trying to quit cigarettes, but there was a pack being waved in front of him, tempting him. It would be so easy to just take Kim in his arms again, tell her to come back to him and try to forget how cold her letter had been over a year ago. 

No. It wouldn't be that easy. It had hurt too much. And he had fallen head over heels for Katherine now. No. It could never be the same between Kim and him again. But he still loved her. And would until the end of time. That was what was making this so weird, he loved Kim, but he wasn't in love with her, and that wasn't a feeling he was used to having when she was right there in front of him, in living color. Just what he needed, something else to turn his emotions all topsy-turvy. He sighed, and sat down by the pond. He hoped that whatever Kim wanted to talk about, that she would just go ahead and do it. 

Then she kissed him. 

Tommy couldn't tell if only seconds passed before he found his voice or an eternity. That was not what he had expected! He stared at her, wondering how she could have done that, what in the world had come over her, did she expect to pick things up right where they had left off before she went to Florida? 

She didn't. "That offended you, didn't it? It didn't wake up any desire to be with me again." Kim sighed, then sat beside Tommy . "I didn't think it would. It didn't do anything for me either, I was pretty sure it wouldn't. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, that's not how I had wanted to handle this." Tommy went from shock to anger to wanting to comfort his ex-flame in the space of a heartbeat. He'd been so wrapped up in how he felt, he hadn't stopped to think how hard it must have been for Kim to come back to Angel Grove, to revisit her past. Their past. 

"It's OK, I can think of worse things that can happen to a guy." Kim shook her head and turned Tommy to face her. 

"No, it's not OK! I shouldn't have written you like I did, I should've called, or at least been more sensitive in the letter. I should've handled this differently from the very beginning." Kim stopped, willing herself not to cry. She had to do this, she had to get things set right between them. "When I left for Florida, I thought that everything would stay the same, that nothing would ever change. But I was wrong. The more we spent time apart, the more I realized, that the love I had for you was strong, it was just as deep as it ever was, but it wasn't the love that two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together have for each other. It was the love that is between two friends, a love that never ends. And it's the kind of love that makes it so easy to hurt the ones you love. Because you take it for granted. You know that it will always be there, no matter what, and you take it for granted. And that's when you lose the most." Kim paused, not sure how to go on. "Am I making any sense?" Tommy didn't answer, so Kim pressed on. "I'm not good at this, I don't know if I'm making sense or not. Tommy, I should've told you, talked to you, the very first time I realized that my feelings had changed, I should've talked things out with you." Kim got up and walked a few steps away. Part of her absently noted she was standing in the exact same spot where Tommy had first kissed her. She would have to talk to Alpha about how he picked teleportation spots. "I will always love you, Tommy, don't ever doubt that. But it isn't the kind of love that I thought it was. I love you as a friend, a former teammate, a brother. It's the same kind of love I have for all the Rangers, but it's different with you, it touches a different level. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, but it seems that's all I managed to do. You can't even say a complete sentence around me and look me in the eye at the same time." 

The wail of a distant police siren floated through the park, mingling with the singing of birds and the laughter of children just out of sight on the playground. "Tommy, if you can't I understand, but I need to tell you I'm so sorry for what I did to you. And ask that maybe, one day, if you ever can, to forgive me. " Tommy was so quiet that Kim thought for a moment he had left. His arms draping about her shoulders a second later told her he hadn't. 

"I love you, too. And you're more than forgiven. I just hope you can forgive me." Kim looked over her shoulder at Tommy, puzzled. 

"Forgive you? For what?" 

Tommy hugged her tightly; he really wasn't good at this himself, but he had to talk about it. "Kim, don't take this wrong, but after I got your letter, I just shut myself off. I didn't want to feel anything, for anybody. Billy had just gotten back from Aquitar, Mondo nearly killed him, trying to catch him that time -" he caught her confused look. "I'll tell you about that later. It felt like everything was going to get back to normal for a while, as normal as Angel Grove ever gets, anyway, then your letter came. Everybody tried so hard to cheer me up, they all thought I was hurting so much. Billy and Kat took me skiing, Kat set me up with Heather Thompson, to get my mind off things, everybody was trying so hard to make me feel better. But the truth was, I didn't feel anything. I didn't want to. I thought if I just ignored my feelings, that the emptiness would go away. I denied myself one of the best things that had ever happened in my life: my love for you." Tommy rested his chin on her shoulder. "Oh man, Kat tried so hard to make me feel better, everybody did. After a while, I think maybe they all thought I was okay, but I just wasn't letting myself feel anything. Then I started feeling something for Kat, and I felt so guilty about it, like I didn't have the right to love anybody else. But I ignored that too, and we started dating. I tricked myself into thinking I had handled everything so well. But when I saw you in the Juice Bar today, I knew I hadn't. I haven't handled anything." Tommy turned Kim to face him. "I need to ask you to forgive me. I should've called more, written more often, something. I shouldn't have shut you out. I still love you, Kim. But it's like you said, it's not the love I thought it was. It's there, but it's different from what being in love is." They just smiled at each other for the longest time, finally connecting after so long apart. Kim kissed Tommy again, this time on his cheek. And this time, neither one of them felt weird about it. Kim laughed as they finally broke their embrace and started to walk along the edge of the pond. 

"Well, I must say one thing." 

"What?" 

"Kat has done the one thing I never could. She has gotten you to the point where you can actually talk for more than two sentences at a time." Tommy laughed, he felt like so much of the weight he'd been carrying had been lifted from his heart. 

"Don't sell yourself short, you laid in all the groundwork." Tommy took a deep breath, then continued. "She's really great. I don't know what I ever did to deserve having her in my life. Or you. I'm really lucky, how many guys get to have such a special woman in their life, much less two of them?" 

"Have you told her?" 

"Told her what?" 

"That you love her, you crazy lunk!" Kim punched him lightly in the arm. Tommy pretended that it hurt. 

"Ow, you're going to break my arm, girl!" Tommy smiled, then stopped walking. "No, I haven't actually said 'I love you', but -" 

"But nothing! Tell her!" 

Tommy cleared his throat and suddenly found the ground around his sneakers very interesting. "I'm scared to," he mumbled. 

"If you weren't a little scared, then I'd be worried! Tommy, no one ever knows for sure how someone else feels exactly, in something like this, until the words are said. And nobody ever knows how much time they have left to say the words. Love is a risk worth taking, to never take the chance is to deny yourself all over again. Tell her. Look at Billy and Sheena. I've only been here for a few hours, and I can see half a world away how much they love each other. Can you imagine what it would be like if they never found the courage to tell each other? Love like that doesn't come around every day, you have to take the chance while you can. Tell her." 

"You sure you... I mean..." his voice trailed off. 

"Now there's the Tommy I remember. When it comes to his heart, he stumbles over the words. Kat and I talked things out over the phone a long time ago, I'm the one who told her to go ahead and act on her feelings for you, if she really thought she loved you. And she does. But as much as she needs to say the words to you, you need to say them to her. You guys especially need to say it, you're still Power Rangers. You know the risks and responsibilities that brings. Mondo could be defeated five minutes from now, or one of you could be lost..." Kim was having trouble finding the words now, to voice her fears. "No one knows how much time they have, and being a Power Ranger makes the stakes even higher. I'm not saying that the two of you need to get married right on the spot like Billy and Sheena did, but you need to tell each other how you feel. And don't worry about me, it's all right with me. I couldn't pick a better couple." Kim laughed as they started to walk again. "Though you guys have quite a ways to go before you're as 'nauseatingly in love', to quote Jason, as Billy and Sheena." Tommy smiled and nodded. 

"Yeah, who would have guessed Billy would be the first of us to get married?" Tommy's face clouded for a moment. He tried to hide it, but Kim spotted the change. 

"There is something else bothering you, I thought there were some weird vibes. What's wrong? There isn't anything wrong between Sheena and Billy, is there?" 

"No, no, it's nothing like that..." Tommy looked around, as if to make sure that no one else was around, especially no other Rangers. He pulled Kimberly over to a large shade tree to sit down, where they were completely out of sight. "Promise you won't say anything to anybody. Anybody." Kim started to protest, but nodded reluctantly. 

"I promise. On one condition." 

"What?" 

"That whatever this is, you talk it out with the other Rangers later. It does have something to do with the team, doesn't it? What, is Sheena making waves or something? She seems really nice, a real team player. I've only talked to her for a short time and I feel like I've known her forever." 

"No, Sheena's fine, great, wonderful, fantastic." 

"Then I don't understand. You're not falling in love with her, are you?" 

"No!" Tommy yelped, a bit louder than he'd intended. "No, I mean, I like her, I love her as a friend, and according to what we've learned about our ancestors, she and I are kind of distant cousins, in a way. Sheena's a wonderful addition to the team." 

"Then I'm really confused." Tommy took a deep breath and charged ahead, if he didn't tell somebody about what he'd been thinking, feeling, he'd go crazy. 

"How much do you know about the first Power Rangers?" Kim shook her head, and Tommy quickly gave her a basic rundown of how that first team of defenders had lined up. 

"So, originally, the Silver Ranger was the leader of the Power Rangers. She - , Kahva, you say? She was the most powerful of the Rangers, and a great leader. So what does that have to do with Sheena and the Rangers now?" Kim was confused, why would the lineup of the Rangers over fifteen thousand years ago have an effect on the here and now? 

Tommy paused, afraid to go on. But he had to. "Sheena is the most powerful Ranger on the team, that can't be denied. She comes up with great ideas, and she's saved all of us several times over. She's a natural leader, I've found myself depending more and more upon her to do things... I feel sometimes... like maybe the Rangers would be better off with her as the leader. I've been wondering if I should step down." 

"What!" Kim had a hard time imagining anyone other than Tommy, or maybe Jason, as leader of the Rangers. Jason had been their first leader, and even after Zordon had made Tommy 'the leader' after he got his White Ranger powers, Jason had still been the unspoken leader. It was only after Jason, Trini, and Zack had left for the Peace Conference in Switzerland that Tommy had really stepped up into the leadership role, and he had filled it splendidly. "Tommy, what makes you think that? Being the strongest member doesn't make you a rightful leader. If that were true, we'd have dictators like Mondo in charge all over the world. Not that Sheena would be a dictator, I mean, but there's more to being a leader than sheer strength." 

"I know. And that's why I'm so confused. I'm not thinking of handing over leadership because she's simply the strongest, it's because she has so many qualities that would make her a good leader. I've had so much on my mind the past year or so, and I haven't handled most of it well. It's even flowed over into my Ranger duties, there have been times where I've been so distracted that I could've put the team at risk. My friends at risk. In fact, I think I did. A good leader also knows when to step down, and let somebody else take over. When Jason first came back, he made it clear to me that he didn't want to be leader again, he felt he'd been out of the loop too long. He also didn't want anyone to think he was trying to make things the way they used to be. If Sheena wasn't here, though, he'd be the first one I'd consider. He and Billy. Kim, Billy got us through so much after Master Vile turned time back, and when Zedd and Rita took over again he risked so much, without powers to protect him, he could've been crippled, killed, imprisoned forever... I don't want to think about what would've happened to us without him. I don't want to think about what it would be like to lose him. He's like a brother to me, to all of us." Tommy plucked blades of grass, trying to put his thoughts together. "I want to do what's best for the team, but I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to slight Jason, he's deserving of leadership, so is Billy. But Sheena is so good. And I don't want to make it seem like I would be handing the reins over to her just for the sake of tradition, or because she's older than the rest of us, or because she's married to Billy. And to put anyone else in the position of leadership puts them at a great risk. Jason knows that, he was Zedd and Rita's target so many times while he was leader. I've been the target more times than I can count. Billy just automatically stepped up to take charge when I couldn't, when the rest of us were still affected by the time warp, and Zedd and Rita went after him, trying to keep him from putting the crystal back together. He knows the risk too. But Sheena hasn't been on the team long enough to know how much she would be targeted if she were leader. It isn't fair to put her in the middle of the bull's eye like that." 

Tommy stopped pulling the grass, he'd already cleared a small patch of ground. "But to have her be the leader feels - so right, like it's what I need to do. I don't know, I'm all mixed up. I can't think straight, everything is all turned and twisted inside. And I know that whatever I decide, unless it threatens the safety of the team, the others won't say anything openly against it. I don't know what to do, I have no clue," he finished helplessly. Kim was quiet for a long time, thinking over what had been said. 

"Tommy, you have to do what your heart tells you is the right thing to do. Trust in your feelings. You're the leader of the Power Rangers, and unless you're completely incompetent, they aren't going to challenge you. And you're not incompetent. Zordon would have never chosen you if you were. This is a decision you have to make on your own." 

"But I'm so mixed up right now, I can't! I can't think straight about it, my mind and heart get all jumbled up. I've tried workouts, sparring, long hot showers, and longer walks alone to try and clear my mind, to calm myself, but nothing's working." Kim searched for the right words to say, but couldn't find them. The beep of Tommy's communicator kept her from getting any closer. 

"Yes, Zordon?" 

MONDO HAS SENT DOWN THE DECHARGER AND SQUAD OF COGS AGAIN, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARK FROM YOU AND KIMBERLY. THIS TIME IT SEEMS TO BE TRYING TO ATTACK CIVILIANS, NOT JUST SCARE THEM AND DESTROY PROPERTY. KIMBERLY, PREPARE FOR TRANSPORTATION BACK TO THE POWER CHAMBER. 

Kimberly and Tommy got up, but before Kim stepped away she whispered to Tommy, "You will make the right decision, I know you will. When your mind is clear and calm, you'll find the answers you need. In the meantime, don't forget. Tell Kat you love her." In her normal voice, Kim spoke into Tommy's communicator. "We're clear, Zordon, I'm ready. Be careful," she said to Tommy, just before she disappeared in a swirl of white. 

Tommy exhaled, trying to calm himself. "Thanks for listening, Kim. It's morphin' time! Zeo Ranger V, Red!" 

Tommy found himself in the midst of a sheer panic. There were several civilians here, a church group had been having a picnic evidently. The other Rangers arrived a second after he did. "Silver! You and Sapphire get these people out of here! Blue, Yellow, Pink, get the Cogs! Gold, you're with me, we've got to keep the Decharger from grabbing anyone else!" Everyone automatically went into action, doing what they did best: defending the Earth and her people. "How's Green doing?" Tommy asked Jason as they ran over to the Decharger. 

"He'll be okay, but he's too weak to fight now. Zordon wouldn't let him leave. Neither would we," Jason grinned under his helmet. The slight humor went out of his voice as he saw who the Decharger was holding. It was Emily. "Let her go!" 

"Gladly, 'Brass Ranger'," the monster sneered. "She doesn't have as much energy as one of you, anyway." He dropped Emily, she collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Jason rushed over and gathered her up. 

"She's unconscious, but OK, I think." 

"Get her to the hospital and get back here as soon as you can!" Tommy ordered. Jason teleported away with Emily as Tommy faced the Decharger alone. Sheena and Billy had evacuated the civilians, now they were helping the other Rangers fight off the Cogs. "Don't you know when to quit?" 

"On the contrary, Red Ranger, I know exactly when to quit. Do you?" 

"What?" Tommy was frozen in his tracks. Had Mondo been listening to his talk with Kim? The thought was literally knocked out of his mind as the monster threw him back with a single swipe of a tentacle, then started after the others, his target: Billy. "Billy, watch out!" Tommy screamed, but Decharger had already shot out a tentacle and grabbed Billy from behind. This was the first time that the monster had grabbed one of the three Rangers whose power didn't come directly from the Zeo Crystal, and it showed. The monster glowed a dark blue as Billy screamed and writhed in pain, the monster draining him just as it had Tommy, Kat, and Adam before him. Tommy struggled to his feet, he had to get that thing away from Billy. He'd just been telling Kim how Billy was like a brother, now that brother was in danger. Tommy cursed himself mentally for being so slow to react. 

"Tanya, Rocky, distract him, Kat, you're with - Tommy! Are you okay?" It was Sheena. 

Tommy nodded, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "Just a little dizzy, he sent me flying. Didn't try to drain me, though. Weird. Jason should be back soon, he had to get Emily to the hospital." 

"OK. Kat, you and Tommy be ready to pull Billy away, I'm going to try and loosen Decharger's grip." Sheena started in on Decharger's blind side, then pulled out the Silver Sword. she charged the monster, landing a blow on the monster's 'shoulder' of the tentacle that held Billy. Her sword bit into metal, went part of the way into it, then stopped. But that blow had been enough, the monster's grip on the now unconscious Billy slipped just enough for Kat and Tommy to pull him to safety. The monster pulled away from Sheena's sword, then managed to swing another tentacle at her. She dodged it easily with a flip, but it had served Decharger's purpose. Just as Jason teleported back into the battle, Decharger wrapped one of its other tentacles around Tanya and started to drain her. 

"Tanya!" Sheena yelled. "Jason, hit it in the shoulder with your staff, that's a weak point!" 

"Right!" Jason replied. "Power Staff!" His weapon appeared and he struck the monster in the shoulder all in one movement. He didn't cause as much damage as Sheena had with her sword, but he did dent its shoulder. The monster turned and laughed at the Rangers. 

"You can't stop me, puny humans!" Tanya continued to struggle in its grip. 

"Want to bet?" Jason leapt again at the monster, striking its shoulder again. This time, the monster loosened its grip on Tanya, and Rocky and Sheena could pull her away. "Call me 'Brass Ranger' will you?" 

"Your time will come," the monster answered with a laugh, looking at Jason, Rocky, and Sheena. "For all of you." Before anyone could move, the monster and the Cogs vanished.

* * *

"I'm really getting tired of the hit and runs, you know," Jason sighed as they all demorphed back at the Power Chamber. Kat and Rocky were helping Alpha settle Billy and Tanya on the other two examining tables. "I mean, just what is with that? And why did he go after regular people and drain them? Emily's going to be in the hospital for the rest of the week. We can recover more quickly, we've got our powers to protect us and help us heal faster, but nobody else has that protection. Why did he do it?" 

Sheena turned from watching Billy on the table and moved to Jason, trying to comfort him. "I wish I had answers for you, Jason." Sheena looked at Tommy for a sign of confirmation, then continued, "Why don't you go to the hospital and stay with Emily for a while? We'll call if Decharger shows up again." Jason looked at all the Rangers, three of them on examination tables, his gaze stopping on Billy, the first one of them that had been rendered unconscious by Decharger's attack. First Emily, now Billy. He wanted to rip apart that monster with his bare hands! Sheena put her hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "Blind anger won't help anyone, not Emily, not Billy, not you. It will only blind us to what he's up to." Jason looked at Billy again, then Sheena. "That's the first lesson _ki-see_ teaches. Never let your emotions interfere with your job." 

"You're right." He hugged her, then moved away, preparing to teleport. "Call me the moment anything happens."

"Will do." Jason teleported away, and Sheena moved back to Billy, holding his hand. "C'mon Billy, wake up." After a few minutes, Billy finally revived and smiled weakly at Sheena. Kat and Rocky were with Tanya, Adam had insisted on going to her, though he still needed to rest himself. They brought him up to speed on what had happened, and after Sheena tenderly kissed Billy before he fell into a deep sleep, she joined them to check on Tanya. They were all discussing this recent attack, puzzled over why the attack had gone the way it had. Tanya wasn't in as bad a shape as Adam, Kat, or Tommy had been, the only reason anyone could come up with was that the monster had already absorbed what energy from Emily she had, then a tremendous amount from Billy, which was why he was so weak. They continued to puzzle over everything while Kimberly applied salve to Tommy's back, which was cut and bruised from where the monster had knocked him aside. He spoke softly to Kim for the first time since teleporting back after the fight. 

"See what I mean? She took charge out there, like she was born to it. I was too slow, if I had warned Billy sooner, he -" Kimberly shushed him, then walked around to face him. 

"It's not your fault. I watched the fight on the viewing globe, that monster seemed to know exactly who he wanted to go after the whole time. I've got a feeling that he would've gotten Billy and Tanya even if they had eyes in the back of their helmets. There's nothing anyone could have done." Tommy didn't look convinced as Sheena and Kat came over. 

"Tommy, you okay? You've been awfully quiet." Sheena frowned, she was worried about their leader. Kat moved behind Tommy to check his back for herself. 

"I'm okay, just going to be sore for a while. Good job out there, Sheena." 

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm sorry for jumping in like that, I didn't mean to try and take over out there." 

"It's OK, you did the right thing. Thanks to you, we know a weak point on the Decharger now, his shoulders. The joints are not as well protected as the rest of him. If we just knew what he was up to..." Tommy's voice trailed off as Kat hugged him, trying to reassure him. _ What do I do now?_ he wondered. The monster was slowly wearing them down, and he didn't know how much more they could take.

* * *

Mondo congratulated his latest creation. "Excellent work, Decharger! Five of the Rangers have fallen, the others will fall soon!" 

"I am glad you are pleased, my Master. Did you see how uncertain the Red Ranger was? It was child's play to get past him to go after the Sapphire Ranger," the monster gloated. 

"Yes, I did. I don't know what is going on with that human, but I intend to keep an eye on him. We may find something we can use for our purposes there." Mondo turned to stare greedily at the Earth, visible through one of the Skybase's portals. "Keep them guessing, Decharger. The fall of the Rangers will happen soon, it's only a matter of time."

* * *

The rest of the week went just like it had started, Cogs would come down for a hit and run, the Rangers would fight them off, only to have Decharger show up as usual. He drained Rocky, Jason, then Sheena in the final battle. And just like he had with Billy, the Decharger drained more power from Jason and Sheena than he had the others. Zordon agreed with the Rangers, since Jason, Billy, and Sheena's powers had slightly different sources than the other Rangers, and were older powers that hadn't been used as much over thousands of years, the Decharger was draining them more. But as with each Ranger, they had been rendered weak for only a day, no more. After that, each one was pretty much back to normal, if a bit sore. And everyone was getting tired from the hit and runs. It seemed the week had only started when it was over and Kimberly had to fly back to Florida. All the Rangers went to the airport bright and early in the morning to see her off. She was about to head down the hallway to go to her flight, when Sheena stopped her, to talk to her alone for a quick minute. 

"Kim, it's been so nice to get to know you this week, I feel like I've known you forever, and not because of a TV show." She glanced over her shoulder at Tommy, but he and the other Rangers were already moving to a place where they could watch Kim's plane take off. "Is everything OK between you and Tommy? He's been acting a little weird this week." 

"We're fine, we got everything talked out that first day. He's just got a lot on his mind. Give him some time, he'll be okay." Kim hated not saying more, but it was not her place, Tommy was the one who would have to talk to the Rangers when the time came. "I think I've maybe got an idea that will help him. I'm going to have something sent to him. Tell everybody that it will be here later today, I think I'll have it sent to the Juice Bar." 

"OK. What is it?" 

Kim laughed. "That's for Tommy to find out first, I'll call him after I make the arrangements. That, and I haven't completely decided what I'm going to do just yet, but I've got a general idea." Sheena looked like she was about to burst. "What? What is it?" 

"Will you be one of my bridesmaids at our wedding?" the words rushed out. "I'm sorry, I meant to do that with a little more control. But I'd really like for you to be one of the bridesmaids, if you can." 

Kimberly blushed. "I'd be honored, Sheena. I have to admit, I'm surprised, but I'm honored. When will the wedding be? Your 'real one', that is?" 

"In six months. We're planning on telling Billy's parents soon, but all the battles recently have kind of thrown us for a loop. We want to wait for things to settle a bit, so we can concentrate on how to tell them we want to be married. Oh, Kim, thanks so much, you don't know how much this means to me!" The girls hugged happily. 

"Who is going to be your maid of honor?" 

"I haven't decided yet, it's a hard choice. I don't -" 

"Flight 315 for Miami, Florida, last call at Gate 12." 

"That's me, I've got to go. Take care, Sheena!" Kim waved and ran down the hall to her plane. Sheena joined the others at the observation window, and they could all see Kim a few minutes later, waving to them through her window on the plane. Sheena smiled, she and Kim had become fast friends. She had agreed to be a bridesmaid, just like Sheena had hoped. If only picking a maid of honor could be so easy...

* * *

Kimberly rushed to her room as soon as she could, anxious to call the nursery in Angel Grove. She had just the thing to help Tommy calm down and focus, she'd made up her mind on the plane. She was going to get Tommy a bonsai tree, something that he would have to have patience to work on. Patience and calm that would hopefully rub off into other areas of his life. Patience and calm that would hopefully help him decide what to do about the leadership of the Rangers. She called the nursery and told them to deliver the tree to the Juice Bar, already potted and ready to go. She picked a Joshua Tree, she felt it would do the best in Angel Grove's climate and should hold up to Tommy's lack of a green thumb. "I hope this works," she thought as she hung up the phone, then called Tommy to let him know what she had done.

* * *

Mondo watched Kimberly as she called from Florida to place her order with the Angel grove nursery. "So she's going to try and turn Tommy into a gardener, is she? When I'm through with him, he'll be so calm and still he won't be able to do anything! Klank!" 

"Yes, milord?" 

"Make a poison that we can put into Kimberly's little gift for Tommy. Something that will dull his responses and his mind. I don't want him to be able to lift a finger, much less lead the Rangers! As a matter of fact, if this works, I'll use it on every human on the planet! With their minds dulled, they won't be able to resist my orders, no matter how hard they try!" 

"I can make the poison, milord, but since the tree is organic, it will kill the tree." 

"I don't care what happens to a stupid tree, Klank!" 

"Yes, I know, my liege, but if the tree dies, then Tommy will suspect something and not handle the tree, which will be necessary for the poison to get into his body." Mondo considered this problem. 

"Make a phony tree, one that looks just like the real one. After Tommy gets the tree, we'll send down a platoon of Cogs to distract him and switch the trees. Get to work on it now, Klank!" 

"Yes, milord." 

"And Klank? Don't mess up this time!"

* * *

Tommy had just walked into the Juice Bar when Ernie called him over. "Got a package for you here, Tommy!" Ernie placed a cardboard box on the counter, not more than two feet tall. 

"So what is it?" Rocky asked. "Just what did Kim send you?" 

"A bonsai tree." 

"You mean like in the movies?" 

"Something like that," Tommy frowned. He knew that Kim was trying to help him focus, but he wasn't a gardener. Why was she sending a tree of all things? Billy walked in just as Tommy took the tree out of the box and heard Rocky's question. 

"Kat said I'd find you here, that Kim's gift had arrived. Which species did she send, Tommy?" 

"What do you mean, which species? A bonsai tree is a bonsai tree, right?" Rocky was confused now. "I mean, that's what they call them, so that's what they are, right?" 

Billy laughed as he got a closer look at the small tree, already potted properly. Kim must have told the nursery to deliver it ready to go. Ernie had already taken the box to the recycling bin. "There are several kinds of trees that can be used for bonsai. Bonsai is more the art of tending, pruning, and caring for the trees. It deals with harmony..." Billy continued his explanation as the guys left and headed for Billy's lab. As he listened, Tommy realized just why Kim had sent the tree. The art of bonsai did have to deal with the harmony of nature, and man trying to mold it, without looking as if he were molding it. It seemed like a contradiction in terms, but the spiritual side was what Kim was aiming for in sending her gift. Just as one tried to find the balance and harmony in bonsai, he needed to find the balance and harmony in his mind, heart, and soul. He needed to be calm and focused, so he could find the answers he needed. But how could he be calm with the Decharger around? How could he be calm not knowing what to do about the Rangers? Rocky's hand on his arm broke his thoughts. 

"Cogs!" Tommy looked around to find that they were surrounded. 

"Great. Now what?" he muttered.

* * *

Mondo watched, he had waited until the Rangers were out in the open. "Klank! Hurry up with my tree!" 

"It is ready, milord. I shall teleport down now." Klank vanished with the poisonous copy of Tommy's bonsai. Mondo actually laughed as he continued to watch the battle on Earth. 

"Oh, you'll have plenty of time to think about things now, Red Ranger. All the time in the world, trapped inside your own body."

* * *

Tommy put down the tree just as three Cogs leapt at him, knocking him down. "Morph, guys!" 

"Right!" Billy and Rocky called, but they never got the chance. Each boy was promptly tackled by three Cogs each, and had to fight them off before they could even try to morph. None of the guys saw Klank teleported down by Tommy's tree and exchange it with the fake one. He was there and gone in a few seconds, and shortly after, so were the Cogs. The guys picked themselves up off of the ground, shaking off leaves and dirt. Rocky's jeans were torn from where the Cogs had shoved him onto the sidewalk. 

"Aw, man, not again! My mom must think I'm the clumsiest guy in the world! That's the third pair of jeans this month! She's gonna kill me." Billy helped Tommy up as Rocky lamented about his jeans, then they all looked for the bonsai tree, which was exactly where Tommy had placed it, amazingly enough. "What was that all about anyway? It's not like the Cogs to do a hit and run. I mean, not without the Decharger showing up, or them stealing something. They must have wanted something." Rocky brushed the last of the dirt off his jeans. "I've got to get home and try to patch these up before Mom sees them. I'll meet up with you guys at Billy's later, OK?" 

"See ya, Roc. And don't worry too much about your mom. Mine has finally gotten used to the rips in my jeans." Tommy watched as Rocky jogged off in the direction of his house. He was right, it wasn't like the Cogs to hit and run without the Decharger showing up. What had they wanted? 

"You okay Tommy?" 

"Huh? Yeah, I'm okay. I'll be better if we can figure out just what Mondo is up to, though. Let's get over to your place before anything else happens." Billy and Tommy continued on the way to Billy's lab, not noticing that the tree was glinting slightly in the sun.

* * *

Mondo was giggling with glee now, something that Klank had never thought he would ever see. "I take it you're pleased, sire?" 

"Oh, yes, Klank, for once you've done something perfectly. They won't know what hit them until it's too late." Mondo would've scowled at the real tree Klank was holding if he could. "Get that stupid tree out of here, I hate real plants." 

"Yes, sire. At once, sire." Klank went to the nearby furnace and tossed the tree in. It was incinerated instantly. Klank could feel his pride swelling, he _had_ outdone himself this time. He had created the tree so precisely, mimicked every line and curve. And had put a little surprise of his own into it, to insure it carried out its mission: the poisoning of the Red Ranger.

* * *

After calling Kim to thank her for her gift, but not telling her about the Cog attack, Tommy sat down at the table with a pair of pruning shears that Billy had found for him and stared at the little tree. He was amazed that it hadn't been damaged in the fight. But now that he had it here, safe in Billy's lab, he had no idea what to do with it. 

"It won't get pruned by itself, you know," Billy teased. He was busying himself with the carcass of what was going to be a china cabinet for the house that his Uncle John had announced he was thinking about renting. Billy had planned for the cabinet to be for Sheena and himself, but they hadn't announced their 'engagement' to his parents yet, so when John had seen all the wood and the frame, he asked Billy if he could make a china cabinet for the house. Billy agreed, to say no to Uncle John was unthinkable. And if he had, then he would've had to explain to his uncle that he and Sheena were 'engaged', and to do that before even telling his parents... Billy didn't even want to think about what that little scene would've been like. Billy walked over to Tommy, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just let the tree 'tell' you where to start. Follow its form and let it guide you. Clear your mind, center yourself." 

"Easy for you to say. What do you think the Cogs were up to?" 

"I don't know, Rocky's right, it was weird. But everything Mondo has done lately has been weird, even for him. And you're stalling. Working on the tree will help calm you, and maybe you'll find some answers." Tommy's hand stopped just above the tree. Did Billy know what was bothering him? That he was wondering whether or not to hand over leadership of the Rangers to his friend's wife? 

"Answers?" 

"Yeah, maybe you'll get an idea about what Mondo is up to." Billy looked closely at Tommy. "You really do need to do something to calm yourself, your hand is shaking. Are you all right?" 

Tommy stilled his hand with effort, he hoped it didn't show too much. "Yeah, I'm fine." He laughed nervously and tried to throw Billy off. "I guess I'm just afraid that this thing is going to bite me or something." Billy laughed and shook his head, turning back to the china cabinet. Tommy exhaled in relief, Billy didn't suspect anything, or if he did, he wasn't saying. Either way, Tommy was glad. He steeled himself, and started for the closest branch of the tree. "All right, here goes nothing." He closed the shears on the branch - and nothing happened. The branch didn't cut. He pulled the shears away and looked closely at the branch. There wasn't even a scratch. "That's weird," he muttered. Tommy tried again, putting more pressure on the shears. "Hey, Billy, this thing won't cut the branches." 

"You're kidding. Mom just sharpened those things yesterday." 

"I'm telling you, it won't cut - ow!" Tommy dropped the shears in pain, the branch he'd been trying to cut had wrapped itself around his fingers. Blood slowly trickled from where the 'leaves' were biting into his flesh. "Billy! Get this thing off me!" 

"What!" Billy rushed over, grabbing the shears that Tommy had dropped. "Hold still." Billy tried to cut the branch with the shears, but had no better luck than Tommy. 

"Be careful, it might stick you, too," Tommy warned. Billy searched through his toolbox and pulled out a pair of wire cutters. 

"Sorry, didn't schedule getting bitten by a plant today. Perhaps tomorrow?" he joked, then frowned. Tommy was turning a bit pale. "These should do it, hang in there." Billy put as much pressure as he could on the wire cutters, and finally the branch was cut with a metallic sounding snap. Billy put on a pair of gardening gloves and carefully unwrapped the rest of the branch from Tommy's finger, a piece about two inches long. A greenish liquid was oozing from it, and from the tree at the cut. Tommy's finger was angry and red where the branch had punctured him. "We need to get you to the Power Chamber, and the tree. Something's not right, trees don't act like Venus Flytraps." 

"That's what Mondo was up to, has to be. He's done something to the tree." Tommy shook his hand, there was a weird numb feeling in it, starting from where he'd been pricked. "But why? He's got the Decharger running around loose, why mess with a tree?" 

"Remember, the Decharger has drained each one of us once each. He hasn't attacked since. Maybe Mondo's trying a new tactic, by going after you." Billy had grabbed his first aid kit and was applying a quick bandage to Tommy's injury. 

"Why me?" 

Billy gave a dry laugh. "You have to ask? You're the leader of the Power Rangers. Might as well paint a bull's eye on your back." Tommy stared at Billy, he had said those same words to Kim. "That's the only thing I can think of. Come on, we need to go."

* * *

Up in the Skybase, Mondo laughed with delight. "Can't figure it out, can you, Rangers? Klank! Send down a squad of Cogs to attack Tommy and Billy immediately! I don't want them find out my tree's secret just yet. They'll know soon enough."

* * *

Billy was just closing his first aid kit when Tommy pointed behind him. "Cogs! Billy, look out!" 

"What? Hey!" Three Cogs had already grabbed Billy from behind, holding his arms to prevent him from fighting them off, a fourth was closing in. "Sapphire - mmph!" The fourth Cog roughly shoved a gag into Billy's mouth before he could call on his power. They had learned long ago that though the other Rangers needed their Zeonizers to morph, Sheena and Billy only needed to call on their powers verbally. So their tactics in dealing with them had changed, they usually tried to keep Billy and Sheena so busy that they didn't have time to morph. The gag was a new trick, however, and one that disturbed Tommy as he made himself move in to try and help his friend. Were they trying to kidnap Billy now? As Tommy struggled, he found himself noticing two things. He was having more trouble with two Cogs than he should be. He was the more experienced fighter of the two, he'd had more training than Billy, but Billy was putting up more of a struggle than he himself seemed to be able to. And there were a few other Cogs trashing Billy's lab. Why was that? Tommy concentrated his efforts and finally broke free of his attackers. 

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!" As soon as he morphed, Tommy felt better, or at least back to normal. He felt his body responding the way it should in a fight, not slowed down like it had moments before. The Cogs seemed to notice the change as well, they renewed their efforts to subdue Tommy. The four Cogs that had been holding Billy had him tied up in a net now, his arms firmly bound, keeping him from removing the gag while they started to drag him away. Tommy fought his way to him as best he could, the Cogs seemed intent on taking Billy with them. "Let him go, metal heads!" 

"You heard the man, let him go!" Rocky had just arrived and had promptly morphed when he spotted the Cogs, tackling the nearest one. The Cogs that had been taking Billy away threw the helpless Ranger at his teammates, sending all three of them to the ground, then teleported away. Tommy and Rocky untangled themselves from Billy, powered down, and worked on freeing him from the net. It took a few minutes, but finally Billy was free and pulling the gag out of his mouth. 

Thanks, guys. That's something they haven't tried before. Not sure I like being trussed up like that." Billy winced as he turned his head, and started to rub his neck. 

"You okay, Billy?" Tommy was worried, he hadn't been able to warn Billy as quickly as he'd tried to, and it had nearly gotten him kidnapped. If it hadn't been for Rocky showing up when he did... Tommy shoved the thought from his mind as he and Rocky helped Billy to stand. 

"I think I'll be okay, but when they gagged me, they wrenched my neck pretty badly. It really hurts right now. I guess that's two of us that need to get checked out at the Power Chamber." 

"Two?" Rocky asked. "What's wrong, Tommy? Are you okay?" 

"Billy's the one who's really hurt, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just got bitten or something by that bonsai tree - where is it?" Tommy walked into the mess of Billy's lab. Everything was smashed or on the floor, the china cabinet Billy had been working on was kindling now. But the tree was nowhere to be found. "That's why they attacked, they wanted to get the tree back. I guess they tried for Billy, too, so he couldn't figure out what made it prick me like it did." 

"Or they were using me as a distraction, so you wouldn't see them taking the tree and stop them. Either way, they've got at least one thing they were after, the tree. We've got to get to the Power Chamber, guys. I don't like this one bit." The three Rangers teleported to the Power Chamber and were greeted by a worried Alpha. Zordon was not visible in his warp. 

"Ay-yi-yi-yi! Are you all right, Rangers? Zordon and I have been searching for more information on the Decharger, so I didn't see the attack until it was over. I'm sorry, I should've kept a closer eye on all of you," the little robot fretted. 

"Billy's neck was wrenched in the fight, and Tommy was pricked by his bonsai tree, but other than that, we're all okay Alpha, don't worry. You can't be watching all of us all of the time, even though you are a robot." Rocky patted Alpha's shoulder reassuringly. 

"Let's get Billy's neck checked, Alpha, they might have pulled a muscle or something when they grabbed him." Tommy felt a little silly. Billy had been in the most danger, all he had were a few little pricks on his finger, it wasn't even bleeding now. The other Rangers teleported in, all clamoring for answers. After Rocky filled everybody in on what had happened after they had left the Juice Bar, Alpha determined that Billy did have a strained muscle in his neck. 

"It's going to be stiff and sore for a while, Billy, but nothing too serious. Be sure to take some ibuprofen every four to six hours, that will take the edge off the pain." 

"Yes, sir, Doctor Alpha," Billy stiffly saluted his metallic friend, then immediately wished he hadn't. The pain had started to travel into his shoulder. 

"Sit still, I think I can take care of that," Sheena ordered. She gently started to massage Billy's neck and shoulders for a few minutes and as everyone watched, Billy's face showed the difference as the pain started to ease. "How's that?" 

"Thanks sweetie, that does help." 

"A friend of mine from back home taught me. The only person I've ever known who can massage even some of the worst pain and headaches away." 

"Really? Which one?" 

"Umm, well -" Sheena suddenly found herself stumbling for words. She hadn't talked much about her friends, about her best friend, since she'd met the Rangers, and couldn't bring herself to talk about them just then. Tommy's paling face caught her eye, and all thoughts of home were banished. "Tommy? Tommy, what's wrong, you're as white as a sheet!" 

It took a few seconds before Tommy could answer, long enough for Rocky and Kat to make him lie down on one of the examining tables. "I'm okay, really, I just got pricked by that stupid tree. It's nothing." 

LET US BE THE JUDGE OF THAT, TOMMY. Zordon was back in his warp. Tommy wondered how long he had been listening to them. ALPHA, BEGIN A SCAN OF TOMMY'S VITAL SIGNS IMMEDIATELY. BILLY, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE TREE? DO YOU STILL HAVE IT? Billy quickly explained what had happened in the lab, and that the Cogs had apparently taken the tree with them during the attack. 

"But what could Mondo want with a tree?" Tanya wondered. 

"I still think that he's been after Tommy this whole time, from the moment he got the tree. I touched the branches myself while Tommy was talking to Kim on the phone after we got to my lab. They didn't prick me." Tommy looked at Billy curiously. "You didn't see me, and I didn't think anything of it till now. If the tree was to poison the first Ranger who touched it, or any Ranger, then it would've pricked me. But it only pricked Tommy. It didn't try to prick me when I was cutting the branch off, either." 

"The question remains, what is Mondo up to?" 

"I don't know, Sheena. I wish I did. Alpha, do your scans show anything?" 

"No, not exactly, Billy." 

"What do you mean, 'not exactly', Alpha? What do they show?" 

"Tommy's perfectly fine except for the pricks on his fingers. But his pulse rate is a bit slower than normal, considering he's just been in a fight." 

"I feel like I'm slower, mentally and physically. The only time I felt up to normal speed was after I morphed," Tommy finally admitted. "I tried to warn you about the Cogs behind you, but it was like I couldn't get the words out for a second or so." 

ALPHA, WE NEED TO RUN SOME TESTS ON TOMMY'S BLOOD. I FEAR THAT THE TREE MAY HAVE POISONED HIM. TOMMY, IT WOULD BE SAFER FOR YOU TO REMAIN HERE FOR NOW. 

"Won't get any arguments from me, some sleep right now sounds pretty good." Tommy settled down on the table as Alpha prepared to draw some blood for testing. "Hey Jase, how's Emily? Did she get out of the hospital today?" 

"She's okay, Ernie has told her not to come in to work for another week, though. Physically she's almost up to speed, but she's still a little spooked." Jason hit the table Billy was sitting on with his fist, jarring it. The vibration made Billy wince and rub his neck. "I'd really like to get a hold of Mondo and - oh, man, I'm sorry, Billy. I wasn't thinking."

"Don't worry, it was an accident. Mondo's attacks have got us all on edge." 

RANGERS, ALL OF YOU NEED TO TRY AND REST. MONDO'S ATTACKS HAVE WORN ON ALL OF YOU, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. YOU NEED TO BE AS RESTED AS POSSIBLE, FOR I FEAR HIS WORST IS YET TO COME. WE WILL CALL YOU THE MOMENT WE KNOW MORE. Reluctantly, the Rangers all left except for Tommy, Billy, and Sheena. Billy only laid down to rest after Alpha promised to wake him if Tommy's condition changed, and Sheena only agreed to go to her quarters and rest after Alpha made her the same promise about Billy and Tommy. Tommy caught her hand as she walked by. 

"Tommy? Something I can get for you? Anything at all?" she asked. He shook his head. He was finding it a little harder to concentrate, and tried to hide the little mental battle he was fighting to simply talk to her. 

"Make me a promise, Sheena." 

"Anything." 

"If whatever that's going on with me slows me down too much, I want you to take over the Rangers. I want you to be the leader." Sheena started to protest, but Tommy cut her off somehow. "Face it, I'm having trouble just talking, much less giving orders. Promise me, Sheena. If you have to, take over." She was quiet, solemn. For a moment, Tommy feared she would say no. 

Sheena nodded. "I promise." She patted Tommy's hand, he was already drifting off to sleep. Billy's breathing had slowed a bit, he was finally asleep too. Sheena went to her quarters and tried to relax, but couldn't. She pulled a small photo album from her purse and automatically opened it to two pictures. The first was the one she had been looking at on that fateful day when the Cogs had captured her and taken her to King Mondo. But it was the second one that held her attention now, it was of her and her best friend. "What do I do now?" she asked the photographic image of her friend. "I'm not a leader." The image didn't answer, it couldn't, of course. Sheena finally drifted off into a fitful sleep, still clutching the album tightly.

* * *

Klank heard an odd noise coming from the throne room, he thought perhaps some piece of hardware had started to malfunction. Much to his surprise, the noise was coming from King Mondo himself! "Sire, I dinna want to bother you... sire? I say, Your Nastiness, are you feeling all right?" Mondo continued to make the odd sound and Klank wondered if he should call Queen Machina. "Sire? Are you... humming, sire?" 

"Yes, I am, Klank, thanks to you! You've done splendidly this time! Tell me, what made you think of using the Sapphire Ranger as a distraction while the Cogs recovered my poison bonsai? Tommy and Rocky were so worried the Cogs were kidnapping him, they never saw us take the tree!" 

Klank gulped, then hurried to cover his nervousness. Actually, he had told the Cogs to kidnap Billy also, but they had panicked when Rocky had shown up and left Billy behind instead. Klank hadn't wanted to take the chance that Billy could find an antidote to the poison. But he wasn't about to let Mondo know any differently. "Uh, it was... a sudden inspiration, sire! I, uh, knew that Tommy would be so worried about Billy that he wouldn't see us recovering the tree. The Blue Ranger was distracted also, when he showed up. I thought you would be pleased, milord." 

"Oh, I am, Klank. Tell me, how long before Tommy is completely overwhelmed by my poison?" 

"Well, sire, if he had stayed in his Red Ranger form, the poison wouldn't have really started to slow him down until about twenty-four hours after the tree pricked him. After that, if he stayed morphed the entire time, the poison would permanently incapacitate him in three days." 

"Permanently?" 

"Yes, sire, in the dose he received, the poison's effects would be irreversible after three full days. He would be in a waking coma for the rest of his life. You see, sire, the poison is designed to interfere with a human's nervous system, slowly blocking the synapses until only just enough information is getting through to keep their body alive. Just as you requested, sire, he'll be trapped inside his own body, unable to even whimper, much less lead the Rangers. Since he powered down after the Cog attack, and is most likely still powered down, the poison is traveling through his system faster, though he may not be able to tell the difference at the moment. Even if he powers up again, I estimate that now he has only a day and a half before he's done for." 

"Yes! Well done, Klank. But tell me, will I still be able to use the poison to enslave all of mankind?" 

"Oh yes, sire. All we have to do is make the tree the size of a normal tree, and plant it near Angel Grove's water plant. Its roots will start to slowly travel through the earth, undetected, and make their way into the water supply. Once they reach it, they will release the poison into the water. The poison will be diluted, and each person who drinks the water will receive enough to have their senses dulled, and leave them vulnerable to say, a hypnotic suggestion that you could broadcast. They will be aware of everything, but unable to resist. And the humans will know that the Power Rangers have been defeated and can't save them. We can poison the entire Earth's water supply in a matter of days." 

"I like this, Klank! But we must make sure that the Rangers aren't able to stop us from planting the tree. Decharger! Decharger, come here at once!" Mondo's monster appeared, ready for battle. 

"Yes, milord?" 

"Tomorrow morning, I will send down a squad of Cogs to draw the Rangers out into battle. When they least expect it, you will go down and fight them, but don't drain them. You've stolen enough energy for our purposes. Keep them busy while Klank plants my tree. And try to battle the Red Ranger one last time. I want his last moments of movement to be the most sorrowful moments of his life! I want him to collapse, knowing that he can't fight, he can't lead, his Ranger friends will be defeated, and there's nothing he can do about it!" Decharger bowed and left the throne room, he was ready to serve his master. Mondo turned back to Klank. "Klank, there's one thing that worries me. What if the Rangers try to destroy my tree? You can't let that happen, Klank!" 

Klank was thoughtful for a moment, if the Rangers ever got a sample of the poison, then that interfering Billy might be able to make an antidote for Tommy in time. Klank couldn't let that happen, not when everything was going so well... "Yer Majesty, I've got it. I programmed the tree to attack only Tommy, to make sure he was the one who was poisoned, I can reprogram it to attack anyone who gets too close. If it is an ordinary human, they will be instantly killed, of course, the strength of the poison is increased with the dosage, the dosage is increased with the size of the tree -" 

"Klank, don't patronize me, do you think I'm stupid! Of course the tree puts out more poison if it is bigger! What about if a Ranger gets too close?" 

"If they are not using their Ranger powers when the tree attacks them, then they will have only a few hours before they are in the same shape as their leader. If they are using their Ranger powers, then they will have a day at most. But if they power down during that time, then their time will run out faster. The Rangers will be unable to stop us, sire, I promise. You will be victorious!" 

"I had better be, Klank. Or else, you are the one who will have to explain why you failed me."

"Y-Yes, sire."

* * *

Tommy was a bit confused when he woke up, where was he? Then he remembered: the tree, the Cog attack, the Cogs taking Billy... "Billy?" 

The Sapphire Ranger turned from the microscope he'd been hunched over for three hours already, thought it was only seven in the morning. "Hey Tommy, how are you feeling?" Billy was cautiously straightening up and turning his head, his neck was still bothering him a bit. Tommy slowly got off of the examining table he'd slept on and went to his friend. 

"Other than few cobwebs, I feel OK, I guess. Oh, man, I didn't call my parents, they're gonna freak!" Billy put a hand on Tommy's shoulder to calm him. 

"Don't worry, the others took care of that. Alpha told me that Adam and Rocky called David after they left and told him what happened. Mr. Trueheart is out of town, so David called your folks and mine and told them that we were staying over with him at the reservation, 'to keep him company'. Adam contacted Alpha and let him know that everything was covered. Don't worry, we shouldn't get skinned alive by our folks." Billy grinned at Tommy, the leader of the Rangers couldn't have looked more relieved. "Your brother knowing who we are comes in handy." 

"Knowing who we are or not, I'm just glad I found him." As Billy turned back to the microscope, Tommy's face clouded. That was another thing he hadn't dealt with as well as he had first thought. It had only been a few years ago that his parents had told him he was adopted, and in the last days before Master Vile had turned time back, Tommy's parents had found out that Tommy had a twin brother. It had taken a while, but they had finally found where David was, only to discover that he had been looking for Tommy with Mr. Trueheart's help. Tommy shuddered, remembering taking David to the Juice Bar after their first meeting and the sparring match that David lost. He had stormed out, feeling bad, only to be kidnapped by Cogs. Mondo had wanted the Power Rangers to surrender to him as ransom. They managed to save David after he had teleported out of the cave with the monster that Mondo's evil had awakened, but David was so frantic about Tommy, that maybe something had happened to him, that Tommy had no choice but to reveal his identity to his brother. By doing so, he'd ended up revealing the other Rangers' identities, and Billy's status as a then former Ranger. So much happened, so fast. He and David both wore arrowhead necklaces, they had been given to them by their adoptive parents, the Olivers and Mr. Trueheart, when they were young. After David's kidnapping and rescue, they found out that the necklaces had actually been with them when they were given up for adoption, they were from their real parents. 

_No, birth parents,_ Tommy corrected himself. That was something he'd shoved to the back of his mind, trying to bury the thoughts and emotions. They had not been able to learn just why they had been given up for adoption, and it had continued to bother Tommy. How did David manage to have such peace with it? Tommy shook his head, his heritage was something else that was turning him inside out, and he didn't know where to begin to deal with it, or anything else in his life. Billy's voice broke his thoughts. 

"I don't understand this, Zordon. We've checked for every known kind of poison or virus in Tommy's blood, but there's nothing there! That tree had to have done something, but what? Where are the traces?" 

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT TOMMY HASN'T BEEN POISONED AT ALL, BILLY, THOUGH I FIND THAT HIGHLY UNLIKELY. BUT UNTIL WE CAN GET A SAMPLE OF WHATEVER WAS IN THE TREE, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIND OUT ANYTHING FOR SURE. TOMMY, DO YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENTLY FROM YESTERDAY? 

"Not really, Zordon, I just kinda feel like I'm not quite awake yet, like I'm slow getting started this morning. Then again, I've never been an early riser," Tommy laughed, trying to make light of the situation. "Really, other than feeling like I'm a little sluggish right now, I feel fine. How's your neck this morning, Billy?" 

"Stiff, but better than yesterday. Just have to be careful turning my head." 

"Well, that's good to hear," Sheena's voice floated into the main chamber. She was up and dressed, and immediately went to Billy and started to massage his neck and shoulders. "Did you sleep well?" 

"Not really. I've been up since about four, I think. This thing with the tree has got me bugged. There should be something in Tommy's blood, but we can't find it. Anything yet, Alpha?" The little robot had been checking another sample, but hadn't had any better luck than Billy. Billy sighed and rubbed his eyes. "This is going nowhere and it's driving me crazy." 

"Then you need to take a short break from it, clear your mind. Sit still, breathe deeply, clear your mind. Think of a calm, peaceful meadow. There's a small pond there, and all sorts of animals are there. Everything is serene, still, and safe. Nothing can disturb this place." Tommy watched in wonder as Billy began to relax, Sheena's voice was even and smooth, her hands slowly working away the tension and stiffness in Billy's shoulders and neck. He could see Billy's face start to relax just as it had the day before, as his pain and soreness started to fade. Sheena was amazing, Tommy wondered just how she was able to be so calm and so calming. Then Tommy saw the ugly dark purple bruise on the back of Billy's neck for the first time, from where the Cog had grabbed him and wrenched his neck, cruelly stuffing the gag into his mouth... Tommy shuddered at the memory. If Rocky hadn't shown up when he had, they would've lost Billy, he just knew it. Every instinct told him that the Cogs had been after Billy as much as the tree. But why? _Because it has done something to me_, Tommy thought. _ Mondo didn't want Billy to figure out what._ He realized that Sheena was staring at him. her face showed her question, he shook his head at her. Her eyes narrowed, her gaze speaking volumes, saying she knew he was hiding something, but she would talk to him later. _If she only knew..._

"Sheena? If I ever meet the friend who taught you how to do this, I'm going to give him my undying gratitude, 'cause I'll never have enough money to pay him properly. I feel so much better, thanks sweetie." Billy took her hands in his and they turned to face Tommy. 

"I heard you say that you were feeling like you were slow getting started this morning?" Sheena was plainly worried about Tommy, he tried to put her at ease. 

"Yeah, but I'll be fine. I just need something to get the blood flowing." Alarms blared throughout the Power Chamber. 

"You were saying?" Billy smiled humorlessly. 

"Not what I had in mind, Billy. What's up, Zordon?" 

MONDO IS GETTING AN EARLY START TODAY. HE HAS SENT A SQUAD OF COGS TO THE PARK. ALPHA, NOTIFY THE OTHER RANGERS TO MEET BILLY AND SHEENA THERE. 

"Right away, Zordon." Alpha started to a console as Tommy protested. 

"Wait a minute! Zordon, I'm fine, really. I'm going, there's no telling what Mondo is up to." He looked at Billy. "You said you couldn't find anything in my blood, right?" 

"Not yet, anyway," Billy admitted. 

"Then I'm going." Everyone in the Power Chamber stared at Tommy, they didn't like the idea of him going into a fight when he might be ill. "Look, if I start not feeling right, I'll teleport out immediately, OK? But right now, I feel fine, and I'm going out there." While I can still do something, he thought. Zordon reluctantly nodded his permission. 

THIS GOES AGAINST WHAT I FEEL IS BEST FOR YOU, TOMMY, BUT YOU ARE RIGHT IN THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT MONDO HAS IN STORE. ALPHA, KEEP A LOCK ON TOMMY AT ALL TIMES AND MONITOR HIS VITAL SIGNS CONTINUOUSLY. TOMMY, DO NOT TAKE ANY UNNECESSARY RISKS, AND IF YOU FEEL ILL AT ALL, PULL OUT OF THE FIGHT. YOU MUST BE CAUTIOUS UNTIL WE DETERMINE JUST WHAT, IF ANYTHING, THE TREE DID TO YOU. 

"I promise, Zordon. It's morphin' time!" 

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!" 

"Sapphire Ranger Power!" 

"Silver Ranger Power!" 

The three Rangers appeared in the midst of the Cogs and immediately started to take them out. The other Rangers joined them moments later, and more Cogs appeared to fight them. The Rangers all found themselves being slowly separated from each other as the battle continued. More and more Cogs showed up as each previous group was defeated. Tommy was the farthest away from any of the Rangers, and had been holding his own, but he could feel his responses starting to slow. "Not now," he muttered as he dispatched another Cog, then spotted five more heading his way. About twenty yards away he saw Sheena trying to make her way to him. She kicked and punched her way through Cogs, but Tommy knew that even Sheena couldn't get to him just yet. 

"C'mon, Tommy, wake up," he told himself. "You've got to fight this." 

But as cold metallic eyes watched from the Machine Empire, Tommy's movements slowed even more.

* * *

"Decharger, come here!" Mondo summoned his monster. "It is time! Go down to Earth and keep the Rangers occupied while Klank starts transplanting my tree at the water plant. Start with the Red Ranger, I want the other Rangers to be devastated by the sight of their leader falling on the field of battle!" 

"Yes, milord." The Decharger teleported away, and Mondo could hear Klank bossing around the Cogs assigned to help him with the tree. Mondo chuckled, pleased with himself. "Yes, Zordon, your pathetic attempts to stop me with those teenagers will all end in vain. Today is the last day Tommy will lead your pitiful group. And soon after, there won't be any Rangers left."

* * *

"Feeling a little slow, Red Ranger?" 

Tommy whirled at the sound of the now familiar voice. "Decharger!" he managed to shout. What is wrong with me? Tommy was finding it harder to move, to think. 

"What's the matter, Tommy, can't fight anymore? Maybe I should find somebody more challenging then, like maybe, oh, let's say your precious Pink Ranger?" Decharger laughed, making Tommy angrier. He ignored his promise to Zordon to teleport back if he felt ill, he wasn't going to let Decharger hurt Kat or any of his friends. Not while he could still fight. 

"I'm a challenge enough for you, do you dare to face me, Decharger?" Tommy launched himself at Decharger, but his motions were too slow, the monster easily knocked him aside. Tommy struggled to his feet, his arms felt like lead. He tried to rush Decharger again, but the monster picked him up and threw him like a rag doll. Tommy tried vainly to get up once more, but he couldn't even manage to sit, much less stand.

"Tommy! Tommy, are you all right?" Sheena had made her way to him, and was cradling him in her arms. "Tommy, speak to me!" Tommy was breathing heavily and struggling to talk. "Guys! Tommy's down!" Sheena yelled to the Rangers. As they all ran over to them, Tommy put a hand on Sheena's arm to get her attention. 

"Remember, you promised." Tommy's voice was barely audible. "Be careful." 

"Tommy? Tommy!" Sheena couldn't get a response out of him, Tommy wasn't able to talk anymore. "Alpha, lock on to Tommy and teleport him back, something's wrong. We'll keep fighting Decharger," the Rangers could hear her say as they reached them. Tommy disappeared in a flash of red, then Sheena took a deep breath and stood to face the Rangers. "I don't know if the Decharger did something to Tommy or if this is because of the plant, but he can't even talk now. It's up to us, guys." 

"And you will do no better without your leader, Rangers! Your end is at hand!" Decharger sent seven energy bolts at the Rangers, sending them all to the ground. He laughed as they lay stunned for a few seconds. "My master, King Mondo, will rule this pitiful planet, its people will be his slaves! And you can't stop him!"

* * *

Tommy materialized in the Power Chamber on the same examining table he'd been on just an hour or so earlier. "Tommy? Tommy, are you all right? Can you talk?" Alpha was frantically trying to get a response, any response, from Tommy. 

_I can't move, Alpha._ Tommy heard his mind say, but his mouth couldn't form the words, his voice couldn't make the sounds. _What's wrong with me?_

"He's unresponsive, Zordon! Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" The viewing globe crackled, shifting away from the battle in the park to King Mondo's throne room. 

"Something wrong, Zordon?" Mondo's metallic voice broke in. 

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TOMMY, MONDO? YOU MUST REALIZE THAT YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH IT. 

Mondo laughed, then leaned in closer, as if trying to get a closer look at Tommy through the globe. "I'm not going to get away with it? Ha! I already have gotten away with it! How does it feel, Zordon, to have one of your Rangers trapped inside his own body for the rest of his life, and you can't do anything about it? You might as well give up now, but I hope you don't. I want to see my monster defeat your leaderless Rangers. You are finished, Zordon!" Mondo's image faded from the viewing globe, his cruel laughter echoing through the Power Chamber for a few seconds longer. Zordon sighed, then looked at Alpha. 

DRAW ANOTHER SAMPLE OF TOMMY'S BLOOD, ALPHA. WE MUST FIND OUT WHAT MONDO HAS DONE AND REVERSE IT. Tommy could feel Alpha drawing some more blood for testing, but his instincts told him that they wouldn't find anything this time, either. He would've kicked himself if he could have moved. Zordon had been right, he shouldn't have gone into battle. Tommy cursed himself for letting his pride get in the way of his better judgment. He thought about what Mondo had just said, and took comfort from one thing. _The Rangers aren't leaderless, Mondo. And that's the one thing you haven't thought about_. Tommy concentrated on trying to move his hand, a finger, tried to open his eyes as Alpha removed his helmet. _Guess I'm going to be here for a while. _He stopped trying to move and listened to the sounds of the battle coming through the viewing globe. _Hang in there, guys._

* * *

Decharger laughed at the Rangers as they pulled themselves off the ground, all still a bit unsteady from his blast. "We've got to keep him from catching us, he can drain us if he does. We need to tie his arms, or pin them." Sheena looked at the Rangers, feeling their collective gaze on her. There was no time to tell them what Tommy had said, what she had promised, they were just going to have to trust her. "Billy, do we have anything that can do that? Do we have anything we can tie his arms with?" 

"At this size, no, not anything that will hold him. If he were Zord size, we could use the chains that tow Kat and Tanya's Zords, but considering how strong he is now, I don't know if they could hold him for long at that point." Rocky stepped up to Sheena then. 

"Maybe we could drain him?" 

"I don't see how, Rocky." The Rangers ducked and scattered as Decharger sent another set of energy blasts at them. "We've got to pin his arms somehow!" Sheena shouted over the explosions. "Jason, Billy, Rocky, let's see if we can grab his arms and tie them together! Kat, Tanya, Adam, keep him distracted!" 

"You got it!" Adam shouted. He and Tanya started for the monster, Kat seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she went with her teammates. Sheena looked at her team. "Ready guys?" Jason and Billy nodded, Rocky shrugged his shoulders. 

"You're the boss," he said. "I guess," he added quietly as the quartet rushed to sneak up on Decharger. The monster was swinging his arms wildly, apparently trying to grab Adam, Kat, or Tanya, but they stayed just out of his reach. Jason and Billy rushed in from behind, grabbing an arm, Sheena and Rocky quickly grabbed another and pulled it to meet with the other captured arm. Together, the four Rangers tied the arms together, then each duo grabbed another arm each and tied those together. Soon, all of the monster's tentacles were tied together, all around his body. Decharger roared in anger, he whirled about, trying to free himself.

"What's the matter, Decharger, all tied up in your work?" Sheena called. "We did it, guys!" 

Billy pointed past Sheena to Decharger. "I don't think so!" With a deafening roar, the Decharger pulled all of his arms apart, then rushed at the Rangers, scattering them in all directions as they avoided his power draining tentacles. Sheena found Rocky beside her. "What's your plan, Rocky?" 

The Blue Ranger gulped, startled for a moment. "My plan?" Sheena called the other Rangers over, they needed to regroup.

* * *

Mondo was pleased, everything was going according to his plan. Tommy was out of the way, the Rangers were leaderless, and soon the entire planet would be his to control and exploit. "Klank! Get down to the water plant and start transplanting my tree!" 

"Yes, your Metal Meanness, but I haven't found the best spot for the tree to be placed yet, where its roots will reach the water supply the fastest, without alerting Zordon or the Rangers." 

"I don't care about that, go ahead and get down there! When you've found the right spot, call the Cogs to make sure that no one interferes. Do it now, Klank!" Klank bowed nervously, then teleported down. Mondo turned back to watching the battle, it couldn't be going better if he were fighting the Rangers himself.

* * *

"Tying Decharger's arms obviously didn't work, we've got to try a new tactic. What's your plan, Roc?" Rocky still couldn't believe that after taking charge like she did, that Sheena was asking him for his plan. He quickly pulled his thoughts together. He didn't exactly have a plan, just a theory. 

"Well, Decharger drains us, and that makes us weak, right?" Everyone nodded their agreement, there was no disputing that fact. "So, what if we could drain Decharger? Say, get him to use up his energy, wear him down? Then maybe we can get him." Sheena looked at Billy, he was still for a second or two, then nodded. 

"It just might work. But the question is, how do we get him to expend his energy?" A blast of energy that knocked Billy off his feet answered his question. 

"We get him to keep doing that," Rocky said as he helped Billy to his feet. "As long as he can't recharge by draining one of us, he should lose power after a while, right?" 

"Affirmative. At least in theory." 

Sheena ducked as another energy blast sailed over her head. "Well, Decharger seems willing to oblige. Everybody scatter, draw Decharger's fire! but remember what Rocky said, we can't let that monster recharge by draining one of us." The Rangers all ran around the monster, ducking and turning, making him angrier and more confused by the moment. Decharger bellowed threats as the Rangers came at him from all sides, landing blows when they could, but mainly just keeping out of his reach and drawing more of his fire. After they had kept up this odd version of 'dodge ball' for some time, Rocky came in for a flying kick to Decharger's chest. The monster was able to deflect him though, and sent him flying into a tree. Sheena went to help Rocky up, Silver Sword in hand. Decharger shot a blast directly at them, there was no time to dodge the blow. Sheena instinctively held her sword up against the blast. It knocked the sword out of her hands, but the energy bolt had been deflected successfully. "It's working, Rocky! Good job!" They both got up and Sheena retrieved her sword. "Jason! Let's see what your staff and my sword can do against him now!" 

"Right!" Together, they charged the mechanical beast and for the first time, the Rangers saw Decharger fall back from one of their attacks. 

"I'll be back, Rangers, count on it!" The Decharger and the few Cogs who had hung around to watch shimmered and teleported back to the Machine Skybase. The park was finally free of monsters after nearly a three hour battle.

"And we'll be ready, Decharger!" Sheena called after him. She sheathed her sword and turned to the others. "Let's get back to the Power Chamber, maybe Tommy's better now." The Rangers teleported back, and Kat rushed to Tommy as soon as she materialized. 

"Tommy? Tommy? It's Kat, the Decharger's retreated. we drove him off. "Tommy?" The Red Ranger didn't move, didn't open his eyes. "Zordon, what's wrong?" Billy had already gone back over to the microscope he'd been using earlier to look at the new blood samples Alpha had taken. His frown had told the others that Zordon's news wouldn't be good. 

TOMMY IS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH US, OR MOVE. HIS VITAL SIGNS ARE GREATLY SLOWED, AS IF HE WERE IN A DEEP SLEEP. WE STILL CANNOT FIND ANYTHING IN HIS BLOOD AT ALL, BUT I FEAR THAT THE TREE DID POISON HIM AND THAT POISON HAS INDUCED A FORM OF A COMA. WE MUST GET A SAMPLE OF THE POISON TO CREATE AN ANTIDOTE. Zordon paused, his face creased with worry. WHILE YOU WERE FIGHTING DECHARGER, MONDO BROKE INTO OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAGGED ABOUT WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND CLAIMED THAT TOMMY WILL BE LIKE THIS FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. 

_Trapped inside his own body for the rest of his life_, Tommy thought, Mondo's words echoing inside his head. He could hear Kat stifle a sob, he felt her hands closing about his. _I'm still here, Kat, I just can't talk! I'm here! Kat! Don't give up! Don't give up on me, or yourself! I'm not through fighting yet, and neither are you!_ Tommy wished that he and Kat had the kind of psychic bond that Billy and Sheena had, Kat would be able to hear him then, or at least sense that he was trying to talk to her. 

Tommy heard a shuffling, then a soft step that he recognized as Sheena's. She must be walking over here. There was a second or two of quiet, then Sheena's voice gently broke through. "Don't give up, Kat. Tommy's still here, he hasn't left us, and he won't. He doesn't want you to give up." Tommy wasn't sure what happened, but he could feel Kat's hands tightening on his. Could Sheena hear him? _Sheena, tell them I asked you to take over! Tell them what you just told Kat, I'm still here and I'm not giving up! Sheena!_

Sheena started, it seemed like she was hearing something in her head, but it was faint, a whisper in the back of her mind. She stared at Tommy, willing him to open his eyes, to do something, but all he did was lie on the table, unmoving, except for the slow rise and fall of his chest to show that he was still breathing, that he was alive. She needed to tell the others that Tommy had asked her to take over if the poison put him out of commission. And they needed to find a way to get a sample of the poison. "Guys, I -" Blaring alarms cut her off. "What's happening, Zordon?" 

KLANK HAS APPEARED AT THE ANGEL GROVE WATER PLANT. OBSERVE THE VIEWING GLOBE. Sure enough, Mondo's henchman was fussily inspecting the clear grassy area around the back of the water plant, well out of sight of anyone who worked there. He seemed to be studying the ground for some reason. HE IS ABOUT THREE HUNDRED YARDS AWAY FROM THE MAIN PUMPING STATION, BUT EXACTLY WHAT HE IS DOING IS UNCLEAR. 

Billy looked up from the microscope and stared at the globe. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was surveying the site. But why?" 

"That's what we need to find out. Billy, stay here for now and see if you can find something to help Tommy, we'll call if anything happens." There was no need to morph, the Rangers hadn't bothered to power down after they had returned from fighting the Decharger, they had only removed their helmets. The Rangers were about to teleport when Sheena noticed that Kat hadn't joined them, she was still over by Tommy. "Kat?" The Pink Ranger either didn't hear her, or didn't want to. 

"I'll stay with her, make sure she's all right," Rocky offered. Sheena started to object, then nodded. 

"Okay, Roc. Join us as soon as you can." Sheena and the others teleported out. Rocky went over to Kat, speaking softly so Billy wouldn't hear. 

"She didn't wait long to take charge, did she?" Kat didn't say anything, but Rocky was sure she felt the same way he did. "I mean, she did a good job out there, but it was like all of a sudden, 'I'm the boss, here's what we need to do'. Who died and made her leader all of a sudden?" Rocky stopped himself there, Kat was staring at him, angry and shocked. "I'm sorry, Kat, bad choice of words. It's just that, she jumped in so quick..." Kat turned back to Tommy, biting her bottom lip, trying so hard not to cry. 

"I know. Tommy should've been the one out there. But Mondo made sure he wasn't." Kat's voice was hard, bitter. "And she's all business, 'It's up to us, guys'. How can she just grab everything and go like that?"

_Because that's what I asked her to do! Kat, please! Rocky! Sheena's not doing this because she's glory-hungry, I ASKED HER! Please, Kat hear me_... Tommy wanted to scream, kick, do something to get their attention. But of course he couldn't. Mondo had probably counted on the Rangers splintering with Tommy out of commission, and it was happening, at least with Kat and Rocky. _Sheena, you've got to tell everybody what I asked you to do, I can't tell them. You've got to pull the team together, it's the only way you're going to defeat Mondo. Can't anybody hear me? _

Alpha was bringing Billy a new slide to look at when he noticed a spike on one of the monitors keeping track of Tommy's vital signs. "Hmm, there seems to be quite a bit of brainwave activity registering here." Billy looked up and took the slide from Alpha, glancing at the monitor. 

"That's good, Alpha. It means that he's still with us." _For now, at least,_ Billy thought. He mentally whispered a prayer for his fallen friend. He couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling that Tommy's time was running out. The Sapphire Ranger shook his head and started back to work, looking for something, anything, that would show him the way to save his friend.

* * *

Klank shuffled this way and that over the area where he planned to put the tree, finally settling on a spot and beaming the tree there. He was checking to make sure that the roots were firmly imbedded when the Rangers teleported in a few yards away, out of sight. The 'tree' was full size now, and now held several clustered greenish-white flowers.

"What's he doing?" Jason whispered. 

"I could be wrong, but that tree wasn't there before we teleported here, was it? I don't remember seeing it in the viewing globe. Where did it come from?" Sheena wondered. She tapped her communicator. "Billy? We've got something here I think you should take a look at." 

"On my way." Two seconds later, Billy materialized next to Sheena. "What's up?" 

"The question is, what is that?" Sheena pointed to the tree that Klank was circling. 

Billy stared hard at the plant. "It looks like a Joshua Tree, but I've never seen one with so many branches. It seems to be a little larger than normal, too, and it definitely has more flowers..." Billy's voice trailed off as he seemed to stare at one particular part of the tree. 

"Weirdest looking tree I've ever seen," Tanya commented. 

"Well, Joshua Trees are actually branched arborescent yuccas -" 

"English, please, Billy. You've lost me here." 

Billy gave a dry laugh. "Sorry, Tanya. Arborescent yuccas are yucca plants that resemble a tree in their properties, growth, structure or appearance. Yuccas are fibrous plants, their leaves can be very sharp. More importantly, however," Billy continued, "this is a modified version of the fake bonsai that got Tommy. It fact, it's the same tree. I can see where I cut the branch off originally from here. Looks like Klank has added several branches though, and made them longer than usual. He's done his homework, the flowers are very realistic." 

"So why is the 'tree' here, then? Surely Klank isn't becoming a gardener." Sheena watched Klank as he stopped inspecting the base of the tree, and started checking on the flowers. 

Billy thought for a moment, then stiffened. "If the tree did poison Tommy, then there's only one reason why Mondo would have Klank put it here. He wants to poison the entire town."

* * *

Kat hadn't moved from Tommy's side the entire time, hadn't let go of his hand. Part of her was afraid that if she took her eyes off of him for even a second, he would slip completely away from them forever. From her, forever. And she couldn't bear the thought of never hearing his voice again. Rocky put his hand on her shoulder, wishing he knew what to say. "Kat, Billy and Alpha are going to find an antidote, don't worry. Tommy will be back with us and everything will be all right. You've gotta believe that." Kat seemed to consider Rocky's words, then nodded. 

"Yes. Billy, have you - where is he?" The Pink and Blue Rangers realized for the first time that Billy had left. "Alpha, where's Billy?" 

"The others found something he needed to look at. I'll bring them up on the viewing globe now," the little robot offered. The globe flashed, then showed the Rangers observing Klank and the tree. As if on cue, Billy called back to the Power Chamber at that moment. 

"Alpha, Zordon. Looks like Klank has made his fake bonsai into a full grown Joshua Tree, with a few modifications. We're going to try and get a sample of the tree. If it's still carrying the poison, and I'm positive it is, then we'll finally have something that can give us some answers. Billy out." Kat and Rocky watched as Billy and the others slowly circled around, sneaking up on Klank and his poisonous tree. They turned from the globe and resumed their watch over Tommy.

"What did I tell you? Billy will get a sample of the poison and Tommy will be as good as new in no time. Then things will be set back right, you'll see." Neither of them saw the dark gray figures that were sneaking up on their teammates in the viewing globe.

* * *

"Okay, guys, keep your guard up. Once Klank realizes what we're up to, there's going to be trouble," Sheena warned. Adam heard a sound behind him and whirled about. 

"We've already got trouble, Sheena. Cogs!" Several Cogs appeared all around them now, cutting them off from the tree. Klank seemed to be oblivious to everything, making a last round of checks on his tree. Sheena knocked one Cog away that got too close. 

"Billy, you've got to get a sample of the tree's poison. Adam, stay near him, run interference against the Cogs. Jason, Tanya, let's see if we can't lure some of them away from the tree." The Rangers split up, each team intent on its task. _Wish Kat and Rocky were here,_ Sheena thought as she battled a group of Cogs. _We need them._

Billy and Adam fought their way to the tree, taking out several Cogs in the process, but more Cogs kept appearing. "The tree must still be carrying the poison, they don't want us to get near it!" Adam yelled. 

"Hate to disappoint them, but I'm going to get a sample of that tree. Tommy's depending on us." Billy somersaulted over the last two Cogs that stood in his way, twisting in mid-air and kicking them both in the back, knocking them away. "Keep their attention, Adam, I'm at the tree!" 

"Keeping their attention won't be a problem, trust me!" he answered as he fought off two Cogs who decided to tackle him at that point. They didn't see the branches near Billy shifting, moving closer to the Sapphire Ranger.

* * *

Kat couldn't stand it anymore, she felt so helpless. "Rocky, what am I going to do? What am I going to do if Tommy doesn't wake up? I can't imagine... can't think of... can't think of a life without him in it. You know what? I never told him I love him. I've never gotten up the nerve to say the words. Now, I may not have the chance." The tears she'd been holding back were close to flooding out now, Kat fought hard not to let them. 

_I love you, Kat. Please, hear me! I love you! And I'm going to make sure you know that somehow. Grab her hand, Tommy, make her know you're still here_! Tommy told himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make his hand obey his mind. The frustration was overwhelming, he wanted to cry, wanted to scream so badly. A noise in the viewing globe drifted to him, the sound of battle. _The other Rangers are in trouble. Kat, you've got to go to them, you and Rocky! They need you! The team needs you! Kat_! Tommy put as much mental energy as he could into sending his thoughts to Kat. He had no assurance that it would work, but he had to try. He willed Kat to hear him, or at least hear what was on the viewing globe. 

Kat drew in a shaky breath to steady herself. She couldn't fall apart now, Tommy needed her. The team needed her... the team. Kat whirled back to look at the viewing globe, she had heard something, she thought. "Rocky! The others are being attacked!" The globe showed Jason, Sheena, and Tanya surrounded by Cogs, too many to fight. Adam was being tackled by two Cogs, more were moving in. Billy had gotten to the tree finally, and Kat could've sworn that a few branches near him were moving. "We've got a job to do." She turned back to Tommy and tenderly kissed his cheek, whispering, "I love you. And I'm not giving up on you, Tom." Kat and Rocky teleported out, not seeing the single tear that slowly flowed down Tommy's face. 

_I love you, too, Kat._

* * *

Kat and Rocky appeared in the middle of the battle, there were Cogs everywhere. "Rocky, go help Billy and Adam! I'll help the others." Kat rushed over and with a swift kick and a flurry of punches, took out a Cog that had been sneaking up on Sheena. Sheena turned, she hadn't heard the Cog behind her. 

"Thanks! Look out!" Sheena pointed behind her. A Cog was now trying to ambush Kat. Sheena launched herself at the Cog, taking him out with a powerful flying kick. For the moment, the Rangers were a team again.

Rocky ran over to Adam, who was in the grip of three Cogs, tackling two Cogs that were heading there to gang up on the Green Ranger. "Five against one? That's not fair odds, metalheads!" He jumped up and kicked away one of the Cogs holding Adam, then Adam was able to shake off the other two. 

"Thanks, Roc! Two against five makes it even. Where's Billy? Has he been able to get to the tree?" 

"Yeah, we saw him in the globe, he's -" Rocky turned and saw a branch moving in on Billy's blind side, a cluster of blossoms less than a foot from his face. "Billy! Look out for the flowers!" 

Billy had been preparing to pull his blaster and shoot off a branch for a sample. "What?" Movement on the edge of his vision caught his attention, he tried to move out of the way, but the flowers shot out a cloud of pollen-like dust, coating his visor. The fumes quickly filtered into his helmet, making him drowsy and disoriented for a couple of seconds. Just as his senses cleared, he felt something wrapping around his neck. "Somebody help!" There was a sharp pain as his earlier injury was made worse, the branch was dragging him across the ground. 

"Guys! The tree's got Billy!" Rocky ran to the tree to help his teammate, Adam right on his heels. All of the branches on the tree were waving now, the flowers were trying to zero in on the Rangers. 

"Watch out for the pollen! It's a sedative!" Billy croaked. The branch was tightening on his throat, making it difficult to breathe, and with each deep breath he could manage, he was inhaling more of the pollen fumes, making him even sleepier. He tried to raise his blaster and shoot the branch, but more of itself wrapped around him like a vine, pinning his arms and legs, totally immobilizing him. If they didn't get it off him soon, he knew he'd pass out soon from lack of oxygen. The tree was crushing his chest now, quick breaths were all he could manage. He felt his body being lifted off of the ground. 

"Billy! Hang on, we'll get you!" Sheena yelled. "Jason, Kat, Tanya, keep those branches busy, give them moving targets! Rocky, Adam, get ready to catch Billy, I'm going to try to cut the branch!" Sheena leapt up, her sword flashing as she slashed at the branch holding Billy. She could only cut it part of the way through though, before another branch knocked her down, then tried to grab her. "This thing's more grabby than Decharger! Rocky, think you can blast it from where I hit it from here?" 

"No problemo, just be ready to grab Billy." Rocky pulled out his blaster and took careful aim at the cut, then blasted it several times in quick succession. He was rewarded with a visor full of pollen as the tree's branches waved and slashed through the air even more frantically. Pollen was flying everywhere and the Rangers were all covered with it in moments. Had he been successful? Rocky couldn't see a thing through all the pollen on his visor. The familiar grip of a teleportation beam made him hope that he had. The next thing he saw, after he managed to wipe off his visor, was the others and himself on the floor of the Power Chamber, all covered with pollen. Billy was motionless on the floor, still bound tightly by the branch, one end burned from where Rocky had blasted it off of the tree. He crawled over to Billy and started to unwind the tightly coiled branch. 

"Be careful, don't let it stick you," Billy warned hoarsely. His visor was completely coated with pollen, he had no idea who was helping him. 

"Doesn't look like it can get through our uniforms," Rocky reassured him. "Hang on, this thing doesn't want to let go of you. Guess the tree has a real crush on you." 

"Very funny, Rocky. Remind me to throttle you later." 

"Count on it. Hey, I need some help here, this thing has really got a hold of him." Sheena and Jason had cleared off their visors by this time, and were already at Billy's side, helping to unwind the branch. In the end, it took all the Rangers to free Billy. They were glad that Billy's visor was still covered for the moment, so he couldn't see what they saw. There were indentations all over his uniform, where the tree had tried to puncture him through his uniform. Miraculously though, it hadn't been able to, and with the branch sealed off from Rocky's laser blast, it seemed that they finally had their poison sample. Finally able to breathe and move, Billy stood with help from Adam and Rocky. 

"Thanks, guys." Billy wiped his visor clear, then yelped in pain. "My neck!" 

NO DOUBT YOUR PREVIOUS INJURY HAS BEEN MADE WORSE, BILLY. RANGERS, BEFORE YOU POWER DOWN, GO TO THE DECONTAMINATION UNIT SO THAT THE POLLEN CAN BE REMOVED. The Rangers all started for the hallway, Billy was walking on his own, with a hand from Adam. Sheena moved to Rocky's side quickly, and motioned to Kat, also. 

"Thanks, guys. We couldn't have done it without you. Rocky, looks like I need to take some shooting lessons from you." Sheena clapped him on his back, then joined Billy. Rocky and Kat looked at each other through pollen fringed visors. The initial anger either of them may have felt towards Sheena for taking over so quickly had faded, but they still had reservations about her being in charge. They followed the others to the decontamination unit, eager to rid themselves of the pollen that made them all look like pale Yellow Rangers. Alpha scooped up a sample of the pollen for analysis, then activated a portable device that shot out a sterilization beam. He waved it over every place that the Rangers had lain or walked, following their trail all the way to the decontamination unit. A few minutes later, the Rangers stepped out, completely free of pollen and all feeling much better. Everyone except for Billy powered down, he just removed his helmet and automatically went to the microscope to check the pollen sample that Alpha had prepared.

"Good news on the pollen, guys," he said a moment later. "It's just regular pollen that Klank laced with a mild sedative, nothing else. All it will do is put a person to sleep for a while, or make somebody with allergies sneeze like crazy, then fall asleep." 

ALPHA, CONTACT THE WATER PLANT AND TELL THE OFFICIALS TO EVACUATE, TO BE SAFE. WE DON'T WANT ANY OF THE PERSONNEL TO GET TOO CLOSE TO THE TREE. 

"I'll contact the Angel Grove Police Department and ask them to cordon off the area as well, Zordon." Alpha busied himself with the communications while Billy examined the branch that had held him prisoner. 

"That's twice that something of Mondo's has yanked me around in less than a day. At least this time, we got to keep a piece of the tree - ohh," Billy's statement ended with a moan of pain. He slowly moved his head and neck. "Man, this is worse than yesterday." 

Kat had taken her position by Tommy, but turned to look at Billy. He was a bit pale. "Maybe you should take a short break, Billy." He shook his head, and reached for the bottle of ibuprofen that Alpha had left for him on the counter. 

"Later, maybe." The Rangers all looked at each other, they knew what Billy was thinking. Tommy's time was running out, and none of them wanted to stop. They couldn't help Billy with his search for an antidote, but they didn't want him to harm himself by working injured, either. Zordon settled the matter for them all. 

RANGERS, ALL OF YOU TAKE THIS TIME TO TRY AND RELAX. WE WILL CALL IF ANYTHING CHANGES. IT SEEMS FOR NOW, MONDO IS WAITING TO MAKE HIS NEXT MOVE. UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THAT IS, ALL WE CAN DO IS WAIT. The Rangers all gratefully left except for Sheena and Billy. Kat was the last to leave, torn between knowing that Zordon was right and her need to stay with Tommy. She left though, leaving Billy to his work. She had to sort out her thoughts, and wanted to talk to Rocky about how things had been going.

* * *

The Rangers were all too keyed up to rest, and eventually Jason, Adam, and Tanya made their way to the Juice Bar. Rocky walked in a few minutes later and was about to join them when Kat ran up and stopped him. "Rocky? Can we talk?" 

"Sure." The two of them went back out and walked through the park for several minutes before Kat said a word. 

"Sheena did a good job out there again, didn't she?" Rocky didn't respond for a while, then nodded. Kat sighed, the two of them had reached the pond by that point. She sat down, staring into the water. Rocky settled down by her and hugged her, trying to comfort her. "I guess it's OK that she's doing this, but she's taking on so much at once. I don't know, it's just so - sudden." Rocky tossed a pebble into the pond, then finally spoke. 

"So, what do you want to do?" Neither of them spoke for a very long time. They just sat at the pond for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon, not moving, each lost in their own thoughts. Kat finally ended the silence. 

"We need to talk to Billy."

* * *

After everyone had left the Power Chamber, Tommy could hear nothing except for the squeak of Billy's chair, he assumed it was Billy's chair, anyway, and the scrape of Sheena's shoes when she had gone to get Billy a glass of water to take the ibuprofen with. While Sheena was gone, Tommy heard an odd noise, he couldn't figure out what it was at first. Then he realized, it was Billy crying softly. Alpha had gone to make sure that he'd gotten rid of all the pollen, Zordon evidently wasn't in his warp, he had told Billy he was searching for more information on what Tommy could possibly have been poisoned with. Billy was talking softly to himself. 

"I can't think! My head, my neck, they hurt too much!" An involuntary gasp of pain escaped from him. He had refused when Zordon had told him to rest for a few minutes, saying he wasn't hurting that much. Tommy had been certain Billy had been lying, now he knew it. Tommy wanted to tell his friend to rest, that he didn't have to drive himself like this, that it would be okay. _There are some things we don't have control over, Billy. Like needing to rest. There are times when we have to do something we feel we can't, like admitting we need help..._ Tommy's thoughts trailed off, it was as if a light had just been turned on in his mind. The same things he wanted to tell Billy were the same things he needed to realize for himself. _What's the line, 'Physician, heal thyself'? Or more simply, take your own advice?_ Tommy mentally sighed, it had taken all this to get him to slow down enough to start thinking things through._ OK_, he thought,_ providing I get through this, what do I need to do? _He heard Sheena's footsteps coming down the hallway, and heard a chair squeak, it sounded like Billy was trying to put himself together before Sheena saw him. It didn't work. Tommy heard Billy take the water, the rattle of the pill bottle, then the sound of the glass as he set it down a few moments later. 

"You're hurting worse than you're saying." Tommy could feel the silence, as Billy no doubt was deciding on how much to tell his wife. "I think you've gone beyond what my massage can do, will you stop and rest for a little while?" 

Billy finally spoke. "Yes, I'm hurting, it's hard to think it hurts so bad. But I can't stop. Tommy doesn't have much time." Tommy heard the chair slide, then the sound of what he guessed was the branch being dragged across the floor, or maybe a table. _ How long is that thing, anyway? It had him completely tied up, from the sound of things when they got back._

"Is there anything I can do?" A moan from Billy provided an answer. 

"Help me cut this thing, I can't even handle standing over it for very long. Ohh, my head," he groaned. Tommy heard Sheena move to Billy, then moments later there was the sound of a small saw cutting the branch up into several pieces. _Okay, first item on the list: tell Kat how much I love her_. Tommy bided the time by remembering the first time he and Kat had danced, their first date, meeting her parents, Kat meeting his, and then his brother, David... _David. I need to talk to you so badly. I'm all torn up inside about our birth parents, the not knowing why they gave us up. I know that I may never get any answers on that, that we may never get any answers, but I need to talk to you about it. I know that my parents love me, they couldn't love me anymore if I were their blood son. You know the same about Mr. Trueheart. I need to know how you feel about trying to find out the truth, maybe one day, about our birth parents. And I need to let Mom and Dad know that I want to find out, but that doesn't mean I love them any less. They may know that already, deep down, but I need to tell them, they need to hear the words. _ More memories filled his mind, family picnics, holidays, birthdays. The first Thanksgiving and Christmas that he got to spend with his brother. The wanting to tell his family the day he became a Power Ranger... 

That was the thing he needed to settle on first. _A good leader knows when to step down,_ was what he'd told Kimberly. Well, that decision was settled. When this was over, providing he could talk to anyone besides himself ever again, he would announce that he was stepping down as leader. As for who to take his place... Sheena would help him make that decision. Tommy had no idea how much time had passed when he heard Billy's fist hit the table. 

"Nothing! Seven feet of artificial tree branch and nothing! There's not a drop of poison in it anywhere!" Billy collapsed into his chair, the pain in his head and neck had spread to his shoulders, and his frustration was making it worse. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then, "I'm sorry. It's just that I was so sure that we would find something." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "How long have we been at it?" 

"You've been going at it non-stop for a few hours now, it's early in the afternoon. You need to stop and eat something." Sheena crossed over to Billy and pulled him out of his chair. "We could go to the Juice Bar." 

"No. The others will probably be there and right now I don't have any answers. And I want to be somewhere quiet, anyway. How about we go to my house? I need to check on what kind of shape the lab is in anyway. We'll be back in a few minutes, Alpha." Tommy heard Billy and Sheena teleport out, then Alpha shuffling over to check on him again. The little robot was talking to himself, fretting over Tommy, Billy, all of the Rangers. _Hang in there, little buddy. As long as there's a Power Ranger left standing, we're not beaten yet. You understand that, Mondo_? Tommy mentally shouted at the Machine Skybase. _We aren't beaten yet!_

* * *

Billy and Sheena appeared outside of Billy's house and found two notes at his lab. The first was slipped under the garage door. It was from David, letting him know that Billy's parents had called that morning to tell him that they had to go out of town for a few days. Uncle John had caught a nasty stomach virus and they had gone to help take care of him and run the campground he owned until he was better. "Your mom wants you to remember to water the plants while they're gone," the note also said. It ended with "Tell my brother that I love him - David". Billy sighed, he wasn't sure if Tommy could hear any of them or not, but he would make sure that Tommy knew somehow. He would ask Zordon when they got back to the Power Chamber if David could visit, maybe it would make a difference. He started to lift the garage door open, but a wave of pain stopped him. "Sheena? Could you give me a hand here?" 

"Move, you don't need to be trying to lift it, anyway," she ordered. Billy closed his eyes, not wanting to see just how messed up everything was. Sheena gasped. 

"It's that bad? I didn't look in yesterday - what?" The lab was spotlessly clean and completely in order. That was when he spotted the second note, stuck under his microscope. It was from Adam. "Hey, if Alpha hasn't told you by the time you see this, you and Tommy are covered with your folks, David knows what happened and called them, you two are 'staying with him at the reservation'. All of us were restless, so we came over and straightened things up. The frame of whatever you were building his history, but all the wood was pretty much salvageable. We've got it all stacked in the corner. I left the gloves I found on your work bench, and I put the piece of Tommy's tree (at least I think it's Tommy's tree) I found in the bottle over by your microscope just in case. I didn't see anything leaking out of it, but don't worry, I used tweezers to pick it up. You probably don't need it, but better to be safe than sorry. See ya! Adam." 

"Hey, maybe the piece Adam found has some poison left," Sheena suggested. Billy was already examining it under the microscope. He carefully shook his head. 

"No, if there was any, it leaked out yesterday. Oh, well, it was a good idea while it lasted." Sheena was turning over the gloves on the workbench. 

"Where do these go?" 

Billy took them from her and started to go to the gardening shed behind the house. "They're my mom's, I had them in here when I brought the wood in a couple of weeks ago, there were a lot of splinters in the boards until I sanded them..." Billy's voice trailed off, he didn't get past the garage door. "Sheena, close the garage door and lock it on the inside." His voice was excited, he moved as quickly as he could to his microscope. "We should've teleported directly in here, anyway, I'm still morphed. Guess I'm not thinking too clearly." 

"I'm not either, I should've told you to power down, but you don't sound too unhappy about the fact that if anyone had been out here, that they would've just found out you're the Sapphire Ranger. What's going on?" 

"There's a stain on the gloves. There's a stain from the poison!" Billy cut off a stained piece of globe and started checking it under the microscope. "We've found our poison. Now if I can just figure out what it is." With the garage door down, Sheena and Billy didn't hear the sound of people walking up the driveway a few minutes later.

* * *

"Alpha, this is Kat. How's everything going?" 

"No change yet, Katherine. Billy is taking a short break at his lab, but he'll be back soon. Do you want me to call him for you?" 

"Umm, no thanks, Alpha, we're just a few minutes away from Billy's, we'll see if we can catch him there." Kat got up and looked at Rocky. "Let's go." 

Rocky and Kat headed for Billy's house. Neither of them was actually angry at Sheena, but they did think she was taking on more than what she should. They wanted to talk to Billy about what she was doing. After all, he'd been with the team since the very beginning. If anyone should take over with Tommy out of the action, it should be him, or possibly Jason. 

There was a thick hedge just outside of Billy's lab, and just before they went past it, Kat stopped Rocky. "What is it?" 

"Shhh," she laid a finger to her lips. "Listen." 

It was Sheena's voice. "Are you any closer to finding the cure?" 

Billy was heard in response. "I'm not sure. This isn't easy, you know." He sounded somewhat snappish. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to intrude." Her voice was hurt. 

"Wait, Sheena," Billy was apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. It's just that this thing has got me so tense, and now that we've finally got our sample from the glove, I'm still not making any headway." A moment later, he said, "Maybe you can help." 

The Silver Ranger laughed. "You've got to be kidding. All I know about science is that you know a lot about it. Just because I married a genius doesn't mean I became one." 

From the sound of it, Billy slipped his chair back a few feet. "A fresh eye never hurts, and all you marrying me means is that you have excellent taste." 

Sheena chuckled, and they could hear her moving around. "Hey, this is weird." She must have been at the microscope by now. "It's almost like it's two separate viruses." 

"Right. One attacks and dulls the mind so it can't respond properly, the second attacks the body, so it can't move. But it's not two separate viruses, it's one. And it's not like anything I've ever seen or read about." 

"Mondo's going harsh on this one." Sheena's voice held a tone of wonder. 

"I know. And I think I know why he had it attack Tommy first, too." 

"Oh, something other than the fact Tommy's our leader and the best one ever, no slight intended to Jason," Sheena chuckled humorlessly. 

"I think it's because Tommy's got something on his mind. I don't know what. But just before the thing 'bit' him he was thinking about something. He wouldn't say what it was, but it was making him nervous." 

Kat and Rocky couldn't believe what they were hearing. When they'd first heard Sheena, they'd almost expected to hear her saying something about how much she'd liked leading them. "The Decharger, probably. Man, that was a bad fight! If it weren't for Rocky, we'd have been dust." 

"He wasn't the only one there, dear." 

"I know, but his plan worked. Mine was completely wrong." 

"No one's perfect. You know that." Billy had apparently taken back the microscope. 

Sheena spoke again. "Yeah. I'll just be glad when Tommy's better again. I kind of noticed some of the others were looking at me, like they expected me to know what to do." 

"And did you?" 

"No! 

They heard a sound that was probably Billy turning to look at his wife. "Sheena, you did know what to do. You tried what you thought would work, when that didn't, you knew enough to try someone else's plan, which did. I don't think Tommy could have a better second-in-command than you." 

Sheena sounded extremely surprised. "What! Second-in-command? Me? No. That's Jason. Even if Tommy did ask me to take over if he couldn't lead, I'm not second." 

Billy stood up suddenly, and winced as the abrupt movement sent a sharp pain through his neck. "He what?" 

"It was just after that plant poisoned him. You'd gone to rest, and Tommy made me promise that if that stuff made it so he couldn't lead, I was to take over. I didn't want to, but, well..." 

Billy picked up on what she meant. "You knew he would feel better if he knew the Rangers were with someone he could trust." 

"But why me? Jason's better than me, a lot better. You're an egghead geek," the tone of love in her voice told Billy as well as Rocky and Kat she meant it as no insult, "but you've got a lot more experience than I do. I'm still the 'new girl'. I haven't even been on the team a year yet!" 

Billy stepped over to her and looked her in the eyes. "Sheena, the only quality you seem to lack, as far as I'm concerned, is that you don't trust in yourself enough. I know how that goes. But how did you feel when you were out there leading those fights?" 

Sheena didn't answer for a few minutes. Finally, "I was scared. When my idea didn't work, I was grateful Rocky had the sense I didn't. You don't even want to know how terrified I was when that tree had you. I owe Rocky a lot. I owe him you, sort of. I need to tell him how grateful I am that he's a better shot than me." 

She stood up, and there was a moment of silence. Kat blushed, knowing full well that Sheena and Billy had to be kissing. Her guess was confirmed when Billy laughed a moment later. "I think I'm going to get wrapped up in alien trees more often, if that's the reward I get." 

"Find the cure for what the tree did to Tommy, and you'll get more than a kiss." Sheena shot him a smiling glance. Billy went back to the microscope and sat down. 

"You know something else, Billy?" 

"What?" 

"I saw how Rocky and Kat were staring at me after Tommy went down this morning. I know how Kat must be hurting inside with Tommy... well, out of it. I don't know what I'd do if that happened to you." 

"Umm... use me as modern art?" Billy laughed, then touched the side of his neck. "Ouch." 

"Be careful. You don't want to hurt yourself any more than you are already." Sheena's thoughts turned back to Rocky and Kat. "Believe me, those two can't want Tommy back any more than I do. I don't think I'm cut out for leadership, but a promise is a promise." 

"Sheena, you've got a lot to learn about yourself." Billy bent back over the microscope. "Hey, what's this?" 

"What's what?" 

Billy was staring intently at the slide, then tapping his communicator. "Alpha, it's Billy. Run a neural scan on Tommy, we're on our way back with a sample of the poison." Billy quickly grabbed the slide and tried to stand, but wavered. Sheena caught his arm, steadying him. "Thanks, seems like my brain is trying to go faster than my body. Man, even my back is starting to hurt. Let's go, I think we've got something here." 

"Should we call the others?" 

"Not yet, let me find out if my suspicions are correct. If they are, then I think we can finally start to work on an antidote." Kat and Rocky heard the sound of Billy and Sheena teleporting away. Kat looked at Rocky, shame-faced. 

"I've been so wrong about her, all this time. Tommy made the right decision." Rocky put his arms around Kat and hugged her. 

"Don't feel so bad, I misjudged her too. I guess now we wait to find out what Billy saw. Knowing him, we won't be waiting long." The Blue and Pink Rangers turned and headed for the Juice Bar, both discovering a new found respect for their temporary leader.

* * *

Mondo was pacing around his throne room impatiently. "Klank! When will Decharger be ready to defeat those blasted Rangers?" 

"He needs only a little more time before his power reserves are up to full capacity, sire. You were wise to keep some of his power stored here, just in case." It grated on Klank's metal nerves to say that, holding some of Decharger's power at the Skybase had been his idea, but Mondo would take credit as usual. Better to let his master take the credit than risk disassembly, though. "He'll go into battle with all of his power, and every bit that he stole from the Rangers, this time. Your victory is at hand, milord." 

Mondo chuckled softly, then gazed at the Earth. "Zordon, your Red Ranger can't lead, your Sapphire Ranger is running out of time to find a cure... you don't have a clue as to how much trouble you're in, old man. But your Rangers will find out soon. My Decharger will destroy them and everything you've worked for. The Earth will soon be mine!"

* * *

Sheena and Billy rushed over to Tommy as soon as they got back to the Power Chamber, Alpha was just completing the neural scan. Billy followed Alpha back to the console by the microscope, eager for the results. He was sure he knew what they be. Sheena watched Billy, watched him carefully sit as the computer analyzed the data from the scan. A couple of months earlier, Mondo had sent down monster attacks constantly over a four day period, the Rangers had resorted to fighting in shifts whenever possible, it had been the only way for any of them to get even the smallest bit of sleep. It had been Billy who reminded them to power down each time before they left, though he had been just as physically and mentally exhausted as the rest of them. There were so many times that they could've given away their secret identities back then if it hadn't been for his 'nagging', as Rocky had joked. But Billy had forgotten to power down before they had gone to his lab. She had forgotten to remind him. It worried Sheena that he was that tired, worried her even more than she had forgotten to remind him of something so simple. Billy's triumphant shout broke through her thoughts. 

"Yes! We've got it!" Billy stood and turned back to Sheena, his smile only briefly replaced by a grimace of pain as he moved his head too quickly. "It's not a virus at all, it's a neural toxin. That's why it wasn't showing up in his blood, it has been designed to immediately go to the nervous system." Billy turned back to the console monitor and sat down, reading the rapidly displaying data. "Klank has designed the toxin to attack the autonomic system first, where there is little or no myelin sheath - I'll give a medical lesson later, I promise." 

"No thanks, just keep this simple." 

"Okay, in short, the autonomic system is what regulates certain body functions on a subconscious level, like breathing, heartrate, and so on. It's also strongly affected by someone's emotional state. This toxin has jammed up the system, it's keeping the signals from getting through at their normal speed." 

"That's why Tommy's heartrate was slower than normal yesterday, even though he'd just been in a fight?" 

"Yes, and if I'm right and something has been bothering him lately, not just the usual 'when is Mondo going to attack', then his system was already a little out of sorts before he was poisoned with the toxin. It made him more vulnerable." 

"You said it hits the autonomic system first?" 

Billy sat back down, reading more of the display on the screen. "Yes, without as much of a myelin sheath to get through, that's the system the toxin can attack the easiest. Think about it. If your heartrate is slower than normal, you're not getting blood to your muscles at the rate they are used to. And yes, Tommy is very athletic, he has probably the slowest heartrate of any of us under normal circumstances. Athletes do tend to have slower heartrates than other people, but their hearts are so efficient, they can get the blood needed through the body with fewer pumps. But this is different." 

"Their hearts can pump more with fewer pumps, I remember that much from high school. But this toxin is 'jamming' up the signals, and keeping the heart from pumping at its normal rate, and since the signals aren't getting through as well, the heart isn't pumping as efficiently either?" Sheena guessed. 

"You've got it. That's what the scan is showing. Also his breathing has slowed, so not as much oxygen is getting through to his body, or to his brain. When you aren't getting the oxygen you need, it's harder to think. After the toxin hits the autonomic system, it hits the central system. Evidently, the toxin is slowed down by the myelin sheath, so it takes longer to affect the central system. That system directs and correlates movement. The toxin is jamming up the synapses that carry information to and from the brain. Tommy could be trying to move, open his eyes, talk, the brain is sending the signals, but they aren't getting through. It's almost like the ventral root of a nerve has been cut. The part of the body it goes to can't move, but still has sensation. Tommy never complained that he couldn't feel anything." 

KLANK HAS TRIED SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE, BILLY, ON A PLANET NEAR THE MACHINE HOMEWORLD, BUT IT WASN'T NEARLY AS STRONG AS THIS TOXIN SEEMS TO BE, NOR WAS IT PERMANENT. Zordon had appeared back in his warp and had processed the data while listening to Billy. BACK THEN, KLANK WAS WORKING ON HIS OWN AND HE WANTED TO MAKE THE POPULATION OF THAT PLANET SUSCEPTIBLE TO HIS COMMANDS, BUT ALL THE TOXIN DID WAS SLOW THEM DOWN TEMPORARILY. HE WAS DRIVEN AWAY ONCE THE TOXIN WORE OFF. THIS WAS ABOUT TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO, DURING A BRIEF PERIOD WHEN MONDO HAD EXILED KLANK FOR HIS PREVIOUS FAILURES. 

"Well, looks like he's perfected it. And with the tree so near to Angel Grove's water supply, if the toxin gets there, everybody in town will be affected. They won't be in as bad a shape as Tommy, but their responses will be slowed and they will be vulnerable, to say, a hypnotic suggestion, or just regular pressure to do what Mondo asks. They'll want to resist, but won't physically be able to." 

THAT WAS KLANK'S PLAN BACK THEN, TO USE A HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION ONCE THE PLANET'S INHABITANTS WERE MADE VULNERABLE BY THE TOXIN. HE WANTED TO SHOW MONDO HE WASN'T A FAILURE. I BELIEVE I HAVE THE RECORDS ON FILE. ALPHA, SEE IF YOU CAN CALL THEM UP. Alpha busily punched buttons and was rewarded a few moments later. Billy quickly scanned the data, then punched up a list. He studied it, then grinned. 

"It's here, Zordon. And this, combined with the breakdown of the toxin we've completed, is enough to make the antidote from. I've checked, we've got everything we need right here. It's just a matter of making the calculations of the ingredients." A beep from the computer made him pause briefly. "Alpha ran a scan on the tree, turns out there is a computerized control at the base, near the roots. That's why it attacked us when we got too close, it was part of its programming. When the tree was a bonsai, Klank probably had it programmed to attack only Tommy, that's why it didn't prick me then. This thing's insidious. But the important thing is, we can make an antidote. We can bring Tommy back!" Sheena had already gone over to Tommy, she took his hand and smiled. 

"You hear that, Tommy? Mondo's plan isn't going to work, Billy and Alpha can make an antidote! You'll be out there kicking some metal butt in no time!" A cry from Billy interrupted her, she whirled and saw Billy falling from his chair, sinking to the floor. Sheena rushed over and tried to help him up, but Billy was bent over on his hands and knees now. Sheena could see the ugly bruise on the back of his neck from the day before. Replays of the attack on the viewing globe had shown them that when the Cogs had tied Billy up in the net, his neck had struck one of the Cogs knees, then the concrete driveway as they had shoved him to the ground. Sheena had wanted to go after the Cogs herself and dismantle every single one of them after she had seen that, but had locked down the impulse. The bruise was bigger now, darker, and seemed to be even a bit reddish from the tree's attack a few hours ago. "What's wrong, what happened?" 

Billy was almost crying, the pain was so intense. "I was trying to stand up and go get the ingredients, but it just hurts so much, I feel so slow, like I can't get up to speed. Whether I want to or not, I think I may have to power down and rest for just a few minutes, no more than five. It's so hard to think..." Sheena felt a knot in her stomach as she listened to Billy, and stared at the back of his neck. 

"Billy, don't power down. Whatever you do, don't power down! Alpha, get that thing over here and run a neural scan on Billy." Sheena cradled her husband in her arms and brushed back the hair on his neck, then pulled the collar of his uniform down to get a clear view. Even before Alpha could do the scan, she had her answer as she saw four very deep puncture wounds on the back of Billy's neck. Alpha confirmed her suspicions a minute later. 

"Billy's been poisoned by the toxin, too," Alpha said quietly. "And according to these readouts, he's received a massive dose, five times or more than what Tommy got, maybe even ten times as much, and it seems to be more concentrated, stronger and more potent. The puncture wounds stop right at the myelin sheath, and his spinal cord has been bruised a bit. The toxin has been practically injected straight into his spine." Alpha sounded as if he were about to cry, if he could. "Billy, you need to lie down and rest, but don't power down. Your powers have slowed down the speed of the toxin spreading through your nervous system, they are keeping it from blocking the synapses as quickly." 

"I won't power down, but I can't rest, not now... help me, Sheena," Billy pleaded. Sheena got him up and into the chair. "I've seen the data, Tommy doesn't have much time before the toxin's effects become permanent, and he's in this 'waking coma' for the rest of his life. If I've gotten the massive dose you say I have, then I don't have much time to make the antidote, and it's going to take both of us Alpha, to get it done in time. At least I know why I'm hurting so much; it's from my spinal cord being bruised." 

"How can you be so calm!" Sheena exploded. She felt so helpless, she had hoped she was wrong. Alpha was already setting out the ingredients for the antidote, Billy had started making calculations. "Billy -" 

"I'm scared. But Alpha and I are the only ones who can do this. Sheena..." Billy paused, his eyes moist with emotion, not pain this time. "I love you," he said quietly. Sheena tenderly kissed him, then Billy turned back to his work. Sheena looked at Alpha. 

"Call the others in, Alpha."

* * *

Tanya was watching Jason and Adam spar when their communicators beeped. She glanced around, nobody was looking at her. "What's up, Alpha?" she asked softly as Jason and Adam joined her. 

"We need all of you here, now." Tanya frowned; it wasn't like Alpha to be this terse. 

"We're on our way," she replied. "What was that all about? He didn't sound too good." 

"Something's wrong. I hope Tommy hasn't gotten worse." Jason cast his gaze over the Juice Bar. "I don't see Kat or Rocky, I guess they stayed home. Let's get going."

* * *

Kat and Rocky were just getting in sight of the Juice Bar when their communicators beeped. "Told you Billy wouldn't take long," Rocky grinned. He looked around, then he and Kat hid behind some nearby bushes. "We're here, Alpha." 

"We need all of you here, now." Alpha sounded tense, upset, even though a robot couldn't have emotions. 

"What's wrong?" Kat asked. Sheena's voice came over this time. 

"Tell you when you get here." She sounded worse than Alpha. 

"On our way," Rocky acknowledged. "Something's wrong, very wrong. Wonder what's happened?" Kat felt a knot in her stomach; she'd heard something in Sheena's voice, she had a bad feeling about this. 

"Let's go," Swirls of pink and blue left the area at almost the same time as swirls of gold, green, and yellow left from somewhere inside the Juice Bar.

* * *

Five colored beams of teleportation energy resolved themselves into the remaining Rangers seconds later at the Power Chamber. Sheena was pacing the floor between Tommy and where Billy and Alpha were working. Kat immediately went to Sheena. "What's wrong? What's happened?" Sheena looked into Kat's eyes, and Kat knew the answer even before Sheena could speak. She hugged Sheena, then moved over to Tommy's side. Sheena took a deep breath, then began to speak in a ragged voice, strained from the effort to control herself. 

"The good news is that we found a sample of the poison; it's a neural toxin, in the gloves that Billy was wearing when he took the branch off Tommy's finger. It's similar to something that Klank tried on his own a very long time ago, and with that information and the sample, Billy and Alpha are working on the antidote right now." 

THE TOXIN'S EFFECTS WILL BECOME PERMANENT IF NOT REVERSED IN TIME, RANGERS. ALSO, THE ANTIDOTE HAS TO BE VERY STRONG TO HAVE ANY AFFECT. TOO SMALL A DOSAGE, AND THE ANTIDOTE WILL NOT WORK COMPLETELY, THE TOXIN WILL REASSERT ITSELF, AND LIKELY ADAPT TO THE ANTIDOTE, WHICH MEANS IT WILL NOT WORK A SECOND TIME. THE RIGHT DOSAGE WILL DESTROY THE TOXIN. Zordon paused and looked at Kat and Sheena. TOO MUCH ANTIDOTE WILL DESTROY THE TOXIN, BUT MAY CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. THAT DAMAGE COULD BE PARALYSIS, BRAIN DAMAGE, OR EVEN DEATH. KAT, SHEENA, DO YOU ACCEPT THE RISK? The Pink and Silver Rangers looked at each other and nodded. 

"If we don't take the risk, they'll be in 'waking comas' forever, with no hope of ever coming out. They may even die from the comas, we don't know how long they can live in that state, do we?" Kat paused, Sheena nodded. "We accept the risk." Rocky shook his head, what was Kat talking about? 

"Somebody want to tell me what's going on here? What do you mean, 'we accept the risk'? Tommy's the one who's been poisoned..." Rocky's voice trailed off as Sheena stared at Billy, then turned to face him. "No way, the branch didn't get through his uniform! There were all those little dents, but it didn't get through -" 

"It got through at the neck, the collars are the weakest point of our uniforms. Billy may be unable to give consent when the antidote is ready..." Sheena didn't finish the sentence, there was no need. They all knew what she meant. "There's something else you guys need to know. The reason I jumped in and took charge was because last night Tommy asked me to, if the toxin made it so he couldn't lead. Mondo's kept us so much on the run, I didn't get to tell you earlier. I know this has been abrupt, and this isn't something I asked for. I made a pledge to Tommy, I've kept it, but there's a greater pledge to the team, and that's to make sure you have the best leadership possible. I'll gladly step down to whoever you choose." Sheena was looking right at Jason, he was her choice. Kat answered for them all. 

"Tommy made the right choice when he picked you, Sheena, and I for one don't want you to step down. You've done a fine job. If anything, I owe you an apology. I thought at first you had jumped in because you were eager to take charge, too eager, no matter how well motivated. I know that I was wrong, forgive me for jumping to bad conclusions?" Sheena smiled at Kat as they hugged again. Rocky went to Sheena and hugged her too. 

"Let me join in on the apologies, too. I felt the same as Kat at first, but I know I was wrong, too. You were doing what any of us would have done in the same situation. We all want you to continue to be our leader." Everyone else nodded their agreement. 

"I'll try not to let you guys down," Sheena answered. Tanya moved to her, hugged her. 

"Is there anything we can do?" 

"Wait for Billy and Alpha to finish the antidote. And whatever deity you believe in, pray to Him or Her. Tommy and Billy don't have much time." The next couple of hours were spent bringing the others up to date on the toxin and what it was designed to do, the dosage Billy had received, then planning strategy for Decharger's next attack, for they were certain that Mondo wasn't going to wait much longer to use him again. After a while, everyone was talked out, planned out, and just plain emotionally worn out. Everyone found a spot to sit, Kat stayed with Tommy, Rocky and Jason were with her. Adam had gone over to Billy and Alpha, to see what help he could provide. Sheena sat on one of the examining tables, keeping a watchful eye on Billy. It was getting harder for him to concentrate, and he frequently had to stop and rub his forehead, to try to ease his headache. Tanya joined Sheena at the table, not knowing what to say. After a long while, Sheena finally spoke. 

"Tanya, remember when you asked me a while back if I was worried about Billy? When we split up in that first fight, trying to track down Decharger? In a normal situation, fighting Cogs or whatever, I don't worry about Billy. I know that in a normal situation, he can handle himself as well as any of us. And none of us know when they might pull something and we'll be in trouble, but that's part of being a Ranger. It's part of the risk. Our training helps us to deal with that, and helps to keep us safe. We can prepare, to a certain degree, for that." Sheena took a deep breath, then continued. "But this? How do you defend against something like this? You can't beat up a toxin. You can't kick a few Cogs and magically make a cure appear. Tanya, I'm scared to death." Sheena drew another shaky breath, she was close to losing control. She'd never shown this vulnerable side of herself to anyone but Billy in this world, and right then her defenses were way down. "If I lose Billy, I don't know what I'm going to do. If I lose any of you, for that matter. I'm not prepared to lose any of you. And I can't do anything, that's what hurts the most. Supposedly I'm the strongest Ranger, and I can't do a blasted thing!" Tanya put her arms around Sheena's shoulders, trying to comfort her friend. Tanya wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came to mind. The blare of alarms snapped everyone back to attention. "Looks like Mondo is ready to play. Where to this time, Zordon? And has he sent Decharger?" In a flash, Sheena had changed from grieving near-widow to the Silver Ranger, ready to go into battle against anything that might threaten her world. 

YES, HE HAS SENT DOWN DECHARGER AND THE MONSTER HAS ALREADY GROWN TO ZORD-SIZE. DECHARGER IS HEADING FOR THE PARK, AND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY MAKE HIS WAY TO DOWNTOWN ANGEL GROVE. YOU MUST STOP HIM RANGERS. Sheena looked at Billy one last time, he looked up and smiled. 

"Give him Tommy's regards, and mine too, guys." 

"Count on it. It's morphin' time!" Sheena called. 

"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!" 

"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!" 

"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!" 

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!" 

"Gold Ranger Power!" 

"Silver Ranger Power!" 

The Rangers teleported to their Zords and rushed to intercept Decharger. He had been waiting for them. "Your time is up, Rangers! Mondo will rule this puny world!" 

"So what do you expect us to do, just give up?" Sheena shot back from the Cheetah Zord. Decharger laughed as the other Zords surrounded him. 

"No, Silver Ranger, I expect you to go down in defeat! Then you can crawl back to your worthless Power Chamber and watch your leader and your husband slip away from you, forever! You are all doomed!" Sheena could hear Tanya's sharp intake of breath over their communications system. 

"He knows. He knows about Billy." 

Sheena's voice turned cold, stony. "Mondo's going to pay for this, you can count on that, Tanya." 

"Right behind you, Sheena," came Kat's voice. Her bright Aussie voice was as hard as Sheena's. "Rocky's plan worked before, think it will work again?" 

"One way to find out. Okay, guys, just like last time, don't let him drain your Zords, but let's see if we can draw his fire. We've got to lure him away from Angel Grove first though. Hey, Decharger!" Sheena shouted. "Come and get us, if you dare!" The Rangers all started for the desert. Decharger kept laughing at them, but he followed. 

"You're only delaying the inevitable, Silver Ranger. But unlike yourself, I have plenty of time. How much do you or your teammates have? How much does your husband have?" Sheena almost turned her Zord around right then to blast the Decharger, but they were still on the edge of the city. 

"You'll find out how much time you have, just follow us for a little longer," she muttered. Moments later, they were out in the desert, with no buildings or people anywhere near. "Okay, guys, let's start drawing his fire. Make him mad." The Rangers started running about, dodging Decharger's tentacles, being careful not to get caught. Kat and Tanya poured blast after blast at the monster, but he didn't return fire at them, or any of the Rangers very often. Soon he picked up the Pink and Yellow Zords and tossed them about like toys. 

"Kat, Tanya, are you guys okay?" 

"I'm fine, Sheena. Decharger didn't drain my Zord." 

"Same here," Tanya called. "He doesn't seem to want our energy this time, and he's not firing at us like he did the last time. I don't think this is working." 

Sheena dodged a tentacle and repositioned her Zord. "Seems he learned from the last time. But until we can figure something else out, this is our only option. Anybody gets a good idea, sing out!" Another tentacle shot out and knocked over the Cheetah Zord. Jason drew the monster's attention and some of his fire as Sheena righted her Zord. The battle continued on in this manner for nearly two hours, neither side gaining an apparent advantage over the other to the untrained eye, but the monster was wearing the Rangers down, and their Zords were starting to lose power. "I'm down to about seventy percent here, guys. How about the rest of you?" Everybody was in pretty much the same shape, and going down quickly. "We've got to find a way to fight him, we can't keep this up!" 

Rocky had been watching the Decharger and something that Sheena had said when she had first started to explain the principles of _ki-see_ was coming back to him. "What if the way to fight Decharger is to _not fight him?_" Rocky moved to dodge yet another blow from the monster. 

"What are you talking about? We've got to fight him!" 

"No, Kat, it's something like Sheena's _ki-see_. A _ki-see_ warrior fights with their mind, they turn their opponent's mistakes against them, right?" 

"Keep going, Rocky," Sheena urged. 

"Well, Decharger's not trying to drain us, and hasn't for a long time now. Maybe he's got all the power he needs, he's just toying with us, waiting to wear us down, then make the final strike," Jason jumped in, he could see where Rocky was going. 

"So if he has all the power he needs, if he absorbed more somehow, then maybe that would mess him up?" Rocky finished. 

"Rocky, I think you've got it! We need to overload him somehow." Sheena hit her communications panel. "Sheena to the Power Chamber! Billy, do you read us? Alpha, Zordon, come in!" There was nothing but static coming through the speaker. "Adam, can you get through?" 

"No, and teleportation seems to be down, too. Mondo's blocking us!" Sheena made her decision quickly. 

"Adam, take your Zord and get back to the Power Chamber. Find out from Billy how we can overload this thing. We'll keep Decharger at bay." 

"On my way." Adam turned his Taurus Zord around and headed back to the Power Chamber. Within minutes he was in the holding bay and moments later, he was running into the main chamber. "Billy! We need some answers! Is there any way we can overload Decharger?" Billy looked up from his work, he seemed confused at first. Adam fought down a wave of panic as he saw Billy's pale face, strained by the effort to concentrate. He realized then just how long they had been fighting, and that time was running out even faster than they had realized. "Billy? Can we do it? Is there a way?" Billy stared at Adam, the Green Ranger was afraid at first that he couldn't answer. Then Billy took a deep breath with effort and finally spoke. 

"There's only one way. You need the MegaZord, its systems can be modified to allow whatever Decharger throws at it to be routed through, and then pumped right back into Decharger, along with it's own power. You'll be creating a feedback loop, but Decharger needs to be holding on to MegaZord for this to work. It will be tight quarters..." Billy faltered for a moment, then managed to continue. "Tell the others we're close to the antidote, we're on the last ingredient now. Listen carefully, I don't think I can repeat this." Billy started to explain the rerouting of the systems to Adam, giving as much detail as he could. It was getting harder for him to talk. "Be careful at this junction, where the Phoenix Zord's comes in, it's the weakest point, you'll have to..." Billy's voice trailed off, he clutched Adam's arm, then released it suddenly. Adam barely managed to catch him as he collapsed. 

"Billy? Billy!" Adam picked up the fallen Sapphire Ranger and placed him carefully on the examining table he'd spent the night on. "Alpha, keep working on the antidote." 

"But I don't know if I can complete it without Billy's help, I -" 

"You've got to! You're the only one who can, Alpha, please!" Adam begged. "I've got to get back to the others." Adam didn't want to have to tell them, tell Sheena that Billy was now in the same shape as Tommy and that they needed the MegaZord, something they didn't have without Tommy. _What are we going to do now?_

* * *

Mondo was enjoying himself immensely in the Skybase, the Rangers were wearing their Zords down. Soon his monster would defeat the Rangers once and for all. Klank watched the battle, standing by his master's side. He had thought of everything, and this time, the Rangers would not be able to stop them. He lost himself in thoughts of how Mondo would reward him for his service, perhaps a promotion, or even a planet of his own to rule. Yes, things were going quite well...

* * *

Adam returned to the battle. "Guys, we've got trouble. Billy said that the only way we could've overloaded Decharger was to have used the MegaZord and let Decharger grab it, so we could've created a feedback loop." Sheena broke in, she had caught how Adam had phrased everything. 

"Adam, you're talking in past tense. What happened?" Adam didn't answer, he couldn't bring himself to. "Billy's in a waking coma, too," Sheena answered her own question. "Did Billy tell you how to set up the MegaZord?" 

"He started to, but didn't quite finish -" 

"Then you'll have to finish." Adam started to protest, but Sheena cut him off. "Adam, Billy wouldn't have started telling you how to do it if he didn't believe that you could do it. Everybody get ready to form the MegaZord. Jason, take Pyramidus back to the Power Chamber and get the Phoenix Zord." 

"But that's Tommy's Zord, I don't know if I can pilot it." 

"It's not mentally controlled like the Red BattleZord, you can do it, Jason. I'll keep Decharger busy, you guys get ready. Adam, when you've made the adjustments give a yell. I think you all know what's going to come next. Either this is going to work or it isn't, but it's our only choice. We're losing too much power, and Decharger is going to take us out if we don't give this a try." 

"On my way, Sheena," came Jason's determined reply. Within minutes, he was back with the Phoenix Zord, flying a little less skillfully than Tommy, perhaps, but he had the Zord under his control. Sheena didn't watch as she heard the others over her speaker. They were forming the MegaZord, then she could hear Adam relaying to the others as each modification was made. His voice was edgy and nervous at first, but then grew more confident as each adjustment was made. 

Ten minutes later, he called her. "It's done, Sheena. I'm going to have to keep everything from breaking loose, the Megazord's systems weren't designed for this, but we're as ready as we'll ever be." 

"Okay, guys, time to do a bit of acting here. Come at him, pretend to try and get away, but let him grab you. If he does what we think he will, then he's going to get a nasty surprise. Let's do it!" Sheena moved her Zord away from Decharger, then MegaZord moved in. 

"So, you've decided to go down together! Prepare to meet your doom!" Decharger rushed at the MegaZord, tentacles waving. MegaZord feinted, went in for an apparent punch, which Decharger easily blocked. A second later, he had the Zord wrapped up in his grip. "You're finished, Rangers!" he shouted as he started to pour all his stored up energy into the MegaZord. "I'll blow you apart!" 

"Not if I can help it," Adam muttered. The energy started hitting the MegaZord then. Adam swiftly punched the controls to make the Zord grab Decharger, preventing the monster from escaping. The energy caused sparks to fly from the panels, everyone shielded themselves as best they could from the pyrotechnics. Adam watched as instead of blowing apart the Zord's systems, the energy being pumped into it was stored up, building with their own power supply. "Just a few seconds more... feedback initiated!" he shouted as he hit a rigged-up set of controls. The MegaZord became a huge power conduit, directing all of Decharger's energy back into him with their own, faster than the monster could absorb it. Sheena moved her Cheetah Zord in closer, clamping down on one of the Decharger's legs to make sure it couldn't escape, then sent out her own beam of energy to combine with the flow pouring into Decharger. The monster shrieked, glowing with all the colors of the Rangers, as the energy it had stolen from them overwhelmed it. Adam frantically rushed about the MegaZord, making sure that its circuits didn't fly apart from the massive amount of energy pouring through its systems. Sheena saw the monster start to glow white-hot. 

"Break off, guys!" The MegaZord broke from Decharger's grip easily and backed away. Moments later, the monster was racked by a massive explosion that blinded everyone for a few seconds. When their vision cleared, they saw the monster staggering, smoke pouring from its joints. "Take him out!" 

It was Kat's voice that sounded loudest as the Rangers called out, "Zeo MegaZord Saber, power up!" With a single powerful slice, the Rangers destroyed the multi-armed menace. "That was for Tommy and Billy," came Kat's voice. The Rangers headed back for the Power Chamber, one threat had finally been eliminated, now they had to see if Alpha could stop the other in time.

* * *

Six flashes of light resolved themselves into the Rangers. As soon as Sheena and Kat were solid again, they both rushed to their respective beloveds. Sheena looked at Alpha as she removed her helmet. 

"How long has it been since he collapsed?" 

"About twenty minutes since Adam left," Alpha told her. "Oh, ay-yi-yi, I can't believe this! He had just figured out the last ingredient, too!" 

"So the cure is done?" Tanya asked. 

NOT QUITE, Zordon told them. BILLY DID NOT HAVE TIME TO FIGURE OUT JUST HOW MUCH OF THE FINAL INGREDIENT SHOULD BE ADDED INTO THE CURE, NOR HOW MUCH OF IT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO TOMMY AND TO HIM. THE DOSAGE IS DIFFERENT FOR BOTH TOMMY AND BILLY. 

"We don't have much time, either." Sheena fought down the tears that threatened her eyes. She didn't dare let anyone see her like this, even Billy hadn't seen her like this. Only one person had ever seen her this vulnerable, and that one wasn't here. She went to Billy's notes and started to look through them. A few moments later, she threw them down. "I never have understood any of this." 

The others exchanged glances. Alpha shuffled over to the notes and started perusing them. "I - I think I might have figured out what he was doing. I wasn't sure, though. I'm still not." 

Sheena looked at him. "Please try, Alpha. We don't have any other choice, and they don't have much time." 

Alpha looked through the papers again, and finally picked up a vial. "I hope this is right." 

"Not as much as I do," Kat muttered. Sheena looked at her friend and nodded softly. Alpha carefully added part of the contents to the almost-complete cure and looked hard at it. 

"No change in color or anything," Sheena examined the liquid carefully. 

"Billy's notes don't say anything about whether it's supposed to change or not," Alpha mentioned. Sheena touched the face of her husband gently, and anyone who could have gotten a good look at her would have sworn tears sparkled in her emerald eyes. 

Alpha examined Billy's notes again, then carefully measured out a dose for each of the two afflicted Rangers. Sheena watched for any signs of change in either of them, her heart in her throat. "It's supposed to take around five minutes," Alpha told them. 

One, two, three minutes ticked by. "Come on, Tommy," Kat urged. "Come back to me." 

Sheena said nothing, only stared longingly with love at Billy. Two more minutes passed. Kat let out a small gasp of pleasure as Tommy stirred. She bent over him, her heart beating faster and faster. He opened his eyes and smiled. "What a sight to come back to." 

"Oh, Tommy," was all Kat managed to say. She more than made up for her silence with a powerful kiss full on his lips. 

Sheena smiled sadly, then looked at Billy. There was no change in his condition. She bowed over him, unable to see for the grief in her heart and eyes. She whispered, so low no one could hear her, "I swear by the Mother Goddess, if you don't come out of this, Billy, I will hunt Mondo down and disassemble him with my bare hands!" 

She jerked back when Adam touched her shoulder. "Sheena?" he asked. "Are you OK?" 

"No, not really," she almost growled. "And I won't be until Billy comes back to me." 

Tommy managed to get to his feet and lurched over to Billy. "Come on, old friend, you can beat this! Fight it!" 

There didn't seem to be any change. Sheena's hands clenched into fists as minutes ticked by. Alpha examined Billy again, but couldn't figure out why the antidote wasn't affecting him. "Sheena, I can't explain it. Maybe it's because of where the poison entered his system at... or the strength of it... or..." 

Alpha broke off when he saw Sheena wasn't paying attention to him. Her attention was all taken up with Billy. The others watched her in silence. Tanya remembered what Sheena had said to her earlier, before the fight with the Decharger. She glanced at her watch. It had been almost ten minutes since Alpha had given him the antidote. 

"It's not going to work," Sheena whispered. "We're too late." 

"Sheena... I," Alpha started, then stopped at a shake of her head. 

"It's not your fault, Alpha." Sheena felt strange, cold, as if a stone had taken the place of her heart. "It's Mondo's. I have an oath to keep now. I'll see you all later... I hope." She got to her feet and reached for the helmet she'd put aside before coming to Billy. She heard something behind her; the Rangers shuffling around trying to do something for Billy, probably. She hoped she'd see them again, but whether she did or not, Mondo would pay for what he had done to her beloved. She went to the teleportation unit, wondering in the back of her mind how she'd live without him. He'd been a part of her all her life, it seemed, and now... now he was gone. A part of her life? He was a part of her soul! At least she'd be able to look at him... forever. She wondered if he would age anymore. She couldn't imagine growing old without him. 

Arms encircled her, and she felt a familiar warm breath on the back of her neck. She stepped away. "Leave me alone, Billy, I'm trying to do something." 

It only took her a second to realize what she'd said. She turned around, and Billy's wonderful blue eyes met her own. "Oh, Goddess," was all she could say before he kissed her. 

"Nope, it's Billy," he said when they finally broke apart. "And don't squeeze so hard, I still hurt in some places." 

"Why did it take so long?" 

"I don't know, maybe because I got such a large, concentrated dose," Billy shook his head. "But I'm glad to be back." 

Sheena kissed him again. "Not nearly as glad as I am to see you both back. Tommy," she glanced over at the Red Ranger. 

"Sheena, I -," she cut him off. 

"Tommy, I kept my promise. I don't know why you asked me, but I kept my promise." 

"I know," he nodded. "I could hear everything, I just couldn't do anything about it. Thank you," he smiled at her. "I did a lot of thinking while I was... out of it. I've made up my mind about some things." 

"Such as?" 

"Later," Tommy sighed. He had to support himself against Kat for a second. "I think we all need some sleep before we do anything else." 

NOT QUITE YET. WE MUST STILL DEAL WITH THE TREE ITSELF. THE ROOTS HAVE ALMOST TAPPED INTO THE CITY'S WATER SUPPLY. IF THEY REACH THAT, THEN THE SAME POISON THAT ALMOST DESTROYED TOMMY AND BILLY WILL ENDANGER ALL OF ANGEL GROVE. 

Sheena shook her head. "We can't let that happen." 

Billy looked past Sheena to the teleportation unit. "I think if we can uproot it, then I can rig the teleportation unit to send it straight into the heart of the sun." 

"Incinerate it," Tanya grinned. "Great idea." 

Sheena and Tommy exchanged glances. "You do it, Tommy. You waited long enough and went through enough." 

"No, you do it," he chuckled. "I'm staying here. I don't feel quite up to wrestling with that tree just yet. It was bad enough when it was a bonsai." 

"All right," Sheena laughed. "Back to action!" 

Sheena pulled out the Silver Sword just as a platoon of Cogs materialized to surround the tree. "Mondo doesn't know when to give up! Kat, Rocky, you and I will deal with the tree. The rest of you, keep those Cogs off us!" 

"You got it!" the others chorused. The Silver, Pink, and Blue rangers plunged towards the tree. Rocky and Kat kept dodging about it, keeping the branches occupied as they tried to blast Sheena with their sleep-inducing pollen again. She switched her sword to a one-handed grip and dodged under the branches until she was right by the tree. She got a visor full of pollen, but wiped it away quickly. She didn't dare risk falling asleep, not here of all places. She swiped at the trunk with the Silver Sword, but with only one hand, she didn't have the leverage for a good enough strike. She switched back to the familiar two-handed grip, then had to knock another branch out of her way. Something flashed by her, and she saw Kat, blaster in hand, waving at her. _Glad they're on my side, she thought. But back to business. _She sliced downwards with all her considerable strength behind it, then followed it up with a massive kick to the trunk. The tree tipped over, then crashed to the ground. Sheena grinned, then groaned as a last wildly waving branch knocked her away. She muttered something quite rude as she leapt back and cut the branch in half out of sheer spite. 

"What about that?" Rocky asked as he helped her to her feet, gesturing towards the stump. "That's the worst part of it: the roots." 

"I know," Sheena nodded. She tapped her communicator. "Do you need us to get the roots out of the ground, or can you teleport it out from there?" 

"Out of the ground, so we know we haven't missed any roots. Think you guys can do it?" 

"No problem," Jason assured him. He and the others had just finished with the Cogs. The six Rangers surrounded the stump and as one, grasped the base. "Heave -" Sheena cried out. "Ho!" Jason continued. They stood up, jerking the stump out of the ground and with it came a huge mass of roots, some of the toxin spilling out. They threw it to one side and Sheena touched her communicator again. 

"Now would be a good time, Billy." Moments later the tree, stump, and spilled toxin were enveloped in the teleportation field and vanished. 

"I'm glad that's over with," Kat sighed. "Let's get back to the Power Chamber." 

As they appeared once more in the Chamber, Sheena headed straight for Billy, and Kat for Tommy. But this time, instead of watching their loves with hope, a loving kiss was their welcome back. 

"I haven't been this tired... I don't think I've ever been this tired." Adam leaned against a console. 

"You were great, Sheena," Tommy congratulated her. 

"Thanks, Tommy," she nodded. "And I'm glad you can take back being leader. But I have two last orders as temporary leader of the Rangers." 

"And what are those?" Kat looked a trifle worried for a second. 

"First, I order us all to sleep until we're sick of sleeping," Sheena smiled. "But before then, I order Billy to kiss me before he goes home." 

"Yes, ma'am," Billy saluted, then followed orders. She smiled, waved at them all, then demorphed as she walked down the hallway to her chambers. 

Tommy turned to Alpha. "Teleport us all home, please." 

"Right away, Tommy." Alpha started hitting buttons, and they all vanished out of the Power Chamber. Alpha looked up at Zordon. "Do you think Sheena's still mad at me, Zordon?" 

SHE WAS NOT ANGRY AT YOU, ALPHA. SHE WAS SNAPPISH ONLY BECAUSE OF THE STRESS SHE WAS UNDER. 

Yes... Sheena thought. She knew Zordon knew she could hear him and Alpha. _A lot of stress. Leading isn't easy. I didn't think it would be. I'm just glad we got through everything in one piece. _ The last thought through her mind was, _I'm so happy Billy and Tommy are safe..._

* * *

Mondo raged about his throne room, tossing anything and everything that wasn't bolted down. "I can't believe it! They've beaten me again! KLANK!" he screamed. Klank wisely hid in a remote part of the Skybase, he would stay there until Mondo had calmed down long enough not to want to disassemble him personally. They had tapped into the Power Chamber's communications long enough to find out that Tommy and Billy had recovered. Klank cursed the Cogs for not having kidnapped Billy as he had instructed them, cursed himself for not counting on Sheena taking over in Tommy's absence. It was a mistake he vowed never to repeat: underestimating the Silver Ranger. Klank looked at the small vial he had kept with him the whole time. It was what was left of his neural toxin. He considered throwing it into the incinerator, but didn't. "Never know when this may come in handy..."

* * *

Tommy stared at the ceiling of his room. He'd slept almost twelve straight hours, and felt somewhat back to normal. The sun wasn't even up yet and he'd already begun making plans for the day. He had some people to talk to, with the Rangers being first. He dreaded and welcomed those talks. He had already made his decision, he just wanted to see how the others would react to it. 

He barely waited for the sun to clear the horizon before he started making his rounds. The others were startled to see him that early, but once he explained what he wanted, they listened. He asked them all the same question. "I'm thinking of stepping down as leader. I think Sheena should replace me. What do you think?" 

Adam and Tanya were immediately behind whatever decision he made, they trusted his judgment completely. Rocky didn't want Tommy to step down, but was also trusting in Tommy's judgment, and would support his decision. Jason also didn't want Tommy to step down, neither did he want to see Tommy feel he had to lead for the sake of everybody else, at the cost of his personal well-being. 

Billy probably understood the best, having had to lead when no one else could, giving up that leadership readily when Tommy and the others were back to normal, giving up his chance at a Zeo Power for the good of the team, when a part of him wanted to keep a power. Billy understood full well the sacrifice Tommy wanted to make, needed to make for his own good, and the good of the team. Yes, Tommy knew that Billy understood the cost better than any of the others. 

"Tommy," Kat greeted him smilingly. It was almost noon now; he'd spent hours talking to each of them. The only one he hadn't talked to yet was Sheena. He wanted to talk to her last. 

"Hi, Kat." He was suddenly very nervous. 

"I didn't think you'd be up for another day or so." Kat looked carefully at him. He seemed about as strong as he ever had. 

"I'm feeling a lot better now," Tommy lowered his voice. "We were lucky Alpha figured out what to do in time." 

Kat nodded. "How's Billy doing? Have you seen him today?" 

"Yes... I've been talking to everyone. I have... I have something to talk to you about, Kat. Something important," he gulped, and stared up into the trees for a second. 

"What is it, Tommy?" When he didn't say anything for a few minutes, she poked him. "Tommy... just say what you have to say." 

He jumped. "All right... Kat... I'm going to step down as leader of the Rangers." 

"What?" 

"I can't do it anymore, Kat. I can fight, but I can't lead." 

"Tommy... I," Kat didn't know what to say. "Are you sure?" 

"Yes," he nodded. "I've got a lot I haven't dealt with lately. It's been leaking into my leadership duties. I can't lead when I've got so many emotions that I haven't dealt with. Finding out I have a brother, which brings up the question of why David and I were given up for adoption, sorting out my feelings about Kim." _And you,_ he added mentally. "Not to mention everything Mondo's been up too lately. We almost lost Sheena before we really got to know her. If it hadn't been for Billy, she could have destroyed us." 

"That has nothing to do with you, Tommy." 

"Maybe... but, still, Kat, I can't lead now. I know it inside. I know that whatever it is that makes the best leaders, I don't have it anymore." 

Kat thought things through for a few minutes. This was nothing she'd ever thought of before. Her thoughts whirled for a few moments, then everything came clear. Tommy had been thinking of this for a while... it wasn't something that had just occurred to him. Tommy knew what he was doing, and more: he knew who he wanted to be the new leader. She knew he wanted to do what was best for the whole team. She also wanted to hear it from his own lips. "If you think it's best, Tommy. But who were you thinking of handing the reins over to?" 

Kat thought she was going to have to hit Tommy again to get his attention. Finally, he asked, "How did Sheena do when I was... out of commission?" 

"Good. Better than I thought she would." Kat knew where this was leading. It didn't surprise her, not any more than anything else in the last couple of years had. "You know, I think that Sheena would make a good leader, if you're really serious about stepping down. I know Jason used to be the leader, but Sheena's a natural." 

Tommy choked suddenly. "You think so, too?" 

Kat laughed. "It was obvious to everyone you were testing her, sort of. Everyone except Sheena. She was too busy trying to keep us from flying apart." Her face clouded as she thought of how badly she'd misjudged the Silver Ranger. 

Tommy nodded. "She did a great job." _Now that that's out of the way, on to the hard stuff._ "Kat, speaking of being serious-," 

"Oh, were we?" she teased. 

"There's something I need to tell you." 

Kat sat up straighter, and her heart beat a little faster. Could he... would he? 

"Kat, I thought about this before this whole fiasco with that poison and the Decharger got started. Being out of action gave me a chance to think about it a little harder, and with some sense for a change. Kat," he took a deep breath. "I love you." 

Tommy could have almost laughed as Kat flushed a deep red. She drew closer and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you, too," she whispered. "What made you say it now?" 

"A very good friend gave me some very good advice." One of the many weights on his heart had lifted at last. 

_Thanks, Kim. _ Kat thought. They remained close for a time, talking, and finally Kat asked, "Have you talked to Sheena about it yet? If you haven't, you better get to it. She called just before she got here, she's at the Juice Bar." 

"Oh? What did she want?" 

"She and Billy got formally 'engaged' this morning. Apparently he went down on bended knee and everything. She was expecting it, of course, but still she did sound kind of in shock. They called his parents up at his Uncle John's to let him know." 

Tommy laughed. "What did his parents think of a _phone call_ letting them know their son is engaged?" 

"She didn't say." Kat thought of how Sheena had sounded on the phone. "You know, Sheena faces down monsters and Cogs and Mondo and doesn't turn so much as a hair. The guy she loves, who loves her, asks her to marry him, and I could swear she was actually shaking when she talked to me!" 

"Love can do that to a person." Tommy kissed Kat again before he left. "I should know." He thought for a moment. "I wonder how Sheena's going to take this? Me asking her to be leader, I mean." 

"She'll be all right," Kat smiled up at him. "Just take it easy, Tommy. Everything's going to be fine." 

Tommy headed for the Juice Bar, his mind eased about one thing, but now in turmoil about another. He didn't want to go on and tell Sheena his thoughts about making her leader just yet. A plan formed. 

"Hi, Sheena." Tommy waved as he caught sight of her. She was on the mat, practicing her _ki-see_ moves. She didn't wave back, but he knew she had seen him. He watched for a few minutes as she went through her workout. 

Sheena saw Tommy, but didn't interrupt her trance. She hoped he was feeling better; he did look better. She returned her attention to her workout. She had loved this art from the moment she had learned of it, and was proud of how far she'd come already. Finally the kata came to its end, and after a quick shower, she joined Tommy at the table. 

"You're good," he congratulated her. "I've never seen anyone move quite like that." 

"I've put in a lot of time to be good. I just wish there was some way to know how good I am compared to a true master." Sheena flexed her neck and winced a little. 

"Something wrong?" That move had reminded him eerily of Billy, when he'd been pricked by the tree. Tommy hadn't been able to see his friend, then, but he had pictured that same expression and movement in his mind. 

"Nah," she shook her head. "Phantom pain, sort of. It comes from having that psychic link to Billy. We can each feel what the other does, sometimes. It'll go away soon." Tommy couldn't help but notice the third ring she now wore, a silver band with a brilliant sapphire set in it. It had belonged to Billy's grandmother, it was her old wedding ring. Now it was Sheena's engagement ring. 

"How did Billy's parents take the news?" he asked, indicating the ring. Sheena laughed, and fingered the band lovingly. 

"They honestly seemed surprised that we hadn't gotten engaged earlier. Billy's mom had given him this ring about three weeks ago, for when he found 'that special someone', she told me. You know, it's like I've known his parents forever. Oh! Uncle John knows now, too, and he's not going to rent that house just outside of Angel Grove anymore. He's going to give it to us as a wedding present, can you believe it? Everything has started to happen so fast now, it's incredible." Tommy laughed and smiled, he'd been around Billy's mom when she planned birthday parties, he could imagine what it was like with her now looking forward to planning a wedding. He took a deep breath, he needed to get to the reason he'd come looking for Sheena. 

"Sheena," Tommy had to speak quietly. "I've - I've been thinking about stepping down as leader of the Rangers." 

Her eyes widened. "Why?" Tommy told her most of what he'd told Kat, and when he was done, looked at her. "I don't want to make the team suffer, and that's what I've been doing, unknowingly. I think it's time for someone else to take over." 

"Tommy," Sheena looked into his eyes. "You have to do what you think is best, for yourself and for the team. If you really want to step down, if you think that's the best, then pick someone to lead who you know will do a good job. I'd suggest Jason. He led the Rangers in the beginning, and he's very good." 

Sheena took a deep breath. "But you are better, Tommy. I hope you'll always be our leader." 

"We'll see, Sheena," was all he could say. "I've got to go, I'm supposed to meet David later. Thanks for everything, Sheena. And I mean everything." 

"No problem," she grinned. "Just helping out a friend. 

Sheena went back to the Power Chamber shortly after Tommy left, and got back to business on her latest novel. She had just wrapped up the final chapter when she heard Tommy's voice. "Hey, Sheena. Come on up to the main chamber, would you?" 

"On my way." When she got there, all the other Rangers stood around the room. There wasn't the usual tension in the air that meant a monster had attacked, nor were the alarms blaring. She stood by Billy and waited to see what Tommy wanted. 

"Everyone," Tommy began. "I talked to you all today about stepping down as leader. I've made up my mind. I'm going to. You all know my reasons." 

HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF WHO WILL BE THE NEW LEADER, TOMMY? Zordon asked. Sheena looked over her fellow Rangers, and hoped sincerely Tommy had picked Jason. 

"Sheena." The Silver Ranger jerked as Tommy called her name. 

"What?" 

"Sheena, I asked you to take over when I went down from that toxin for a reason. I've been thinking about asking you to take over for a while now. I wanted to see how you'd react to being leader, and I couldn't have done better." Tommy stood before her. "But I had to ask the others what they thought. I had to know how you felt. Sheena: will you be the new leader of the Power Rangers? You're good enough, more than good enough." 

Sheena felt herself blush deeply. "Tommy... you can't be serious." 

"Why not?" 

"I'm new. I don't have the experience, I -" Tommy cut her off. 

"Sheena, you'll be fine. Just trust yourself. We all do. We all agreed on it already," he grinned at her. "Before I even called you in here, actually." 

She looked at the others, to see them all nodding. "You're all in on this?" She was surprised to see even Billy nodding. A sense of pride and joy filled her. She smiled. "Zordon?" 

YOU HAVE BEEN A FINE WARRIOR, SHEENA, AND YOU LED THE RANGERS WELL DURING OUR RECENT CRISIS. NOW YOU ARE CALLED UPON TO CONTINUE THAT TASK. BEING LEADER IS A POSITION OF GREAT RISK, AND IS YOUR DECISION, AND YOURS ALONE. 

Sheena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "If you all think it's best...-" 

Suddenly the viewing globe crackled. "This is Telvok of Eltar, calling the Power Chamber. Power Rangers Zeo, Zordon, please come in." 

"Who's that?" 

THE LEADER OF ELTAR'S PLANETARY GOVERNMENT COUNCIL. TELVOK, THIS IS ZORDON. HOW MAY WE HELP YOU? 

The globe showed a middle-aged man with thick steel-gray hair, wearing a uniform of some type. "Greetings, one and all, far-descended children of Eltar. Greetings, Zordon." 

Telvok seemed to be looking for something or someone among them. When his gaze landed on Sheena, he smiled. "I was about to ask which of you is the new Silver Ranger, but I have no need. Your ancestor's features shine from your face, my lady." 

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Sheena wondered what this was about. 

"We have learned that you have been studying _ki-see_. Is this true?" 

"Yes." A flicker of unease crossed her face. 

"Even here on Eltar, there are few who study that art, and you are the first of the Power Rangers to do so. Our last master of _ki-see_ has sent for you, Silver Ranger. He wishes you to come to Eltar to study with him, that you might complete your_ ki-see_ education." 

Sheena felt an unexpected thrill at the thought of learning from a true master of the art that had captured her heart and soul as surely as Billy ever had. Then she remembered. "Sir... I can't. I want to more than anything, but I can't. I have responsibilities here. Tommy," she looked at the Red Ranger. "He... he wants me to be the leader. My friends need me. I can't just back out on them." 

Tommy had seen the light in Sheena's eyes when she'd heard Telvok's offer. "Sir," he looked at Telvok. 

"Yes, Red Ranger?" 

"How long would this training take?" 

"Only Master Madas knows that. The Silver Ranger does not have to accept the invitation, and there is no full guarantee that he will accept you as a student, my lady." 

Sheena frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"If you choose to come, you must find Master Madas before he will teach you. It is a quest of sorts." 

She nodded, and Tommy could see plainly just how much Sheena wanted to go. Sheena closed her eyes. Oh, she wanted to go to Eltar more than anything. The very name thrummed in her blood like nothing had since she'd first seen Billy in the flesh. The home of her ancestors, the home of her art... 

She heard Tommy speaking her name again. She looked at him. "Yes?" 

"Send us letters, or something," he smiled. 

Billy nodded. "Don't forget me," the Sapphire Ranger touched her cheek gently. 

"But... what if, no, what about when Mondo attacks again? You guys need me." Sheena couldn't believe what was trying to happen. "And Billy's parents... what are they going to say? I'm supposed to go to their house tonight, so we can start planning the wedding." 

Billy shook his head. "I can cover for you. I wish you could stay, but I can feel," the emphasis he gave the word told her he sensed her desire through their bond, "how much this means to you." 

Sheena looked at the other Rangers. "What do you guys think?" She looked around at the others, agreement shone from every face. 

"You're all crazy," she laughed. "And I'll miss all of you! But I was serious. What about Mondo?" 

"Power Rangers," a new voice came over the globe. It was Delphine, the White Aquitian Ranger. "We have heard of the request of Master Madas to the Silver Ranger, and stand ready to aid you, should it be required in your absence, Sheena." 

Sheena's mouth dropped open. 

"What's the matter, Sheena?" Billy teased. "We want you to have the best training you can... and if Master Madas is the best, then he's the one you should learn with." 

"And if to learn, you have to leave for a while," Adam smiled, "you'll just be that much more of a threat to Mondo when you get back." 

"We all will be," Rocky added. 

Sheena looked at her friends. They weren't the friends from her youth, but they were the friends of her present... and her future. She turned to Billy for one last kiss, and as they drew apart, he told her, "I'll miss you. Come home safe to me." 

"To all of us," Kat supplied. Sheena turned back to the globe, which now showed Telvok again. 

"I'll be glad to come to Eltar, sir. I think I'm going to like it there." 

"I wait for you, Silver Ranger." 

Alpha started to punch in the coordinates. WE SHALL AWAIT YOUR RETURN WITH ANTICIPATION, SHEENA. GIVE MASTER MADAS MY GREETINGS, AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU ALWAYS. 

"Thank you, Zordon." She waved to her friends, then felt the familiar grip of teleporting. A few seconds later, she stood before Telvok's desk. He smiled at her in greeting. 

"Welcome home, Silver Ranger."

**To Be Continued**


	5. Dance of Light

**Dance of Light  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

Billy hadn't been this depressed in a long time. He had never really thought about how much light and love Sheena brought into his life. She was more than the Silver Ranger to him, more than the most powerful Ranger, or even the one Tommy had chosen to replace him as leader of the Power Rangers. She was a woman; a strong, beautiful, loving, kind woman who he loved more than his own life. She was his love and his wife. 

And she had left. Oh, he knew why. He and all the other Rangers understood, accepted, and had in fact encouraged her departure. An offer like she'd gotten didn't come around every day. To study with Master Madas, the only master of _ki-see_ left, was a dream unparalleled. And he had asked her to come to Eltar to study with him. 

Billy's eyes rested briefly on the same spot behind the bushes where Sheena and he had technically first 'met'. Where she'd hidden to kidnap him. That had been so long ago... six months almost. What a strange way for a lifetime together to begin. He chuckled under his breath. If he had known just who it was that had taken him prisoner that night... 

_I would have proposed right then and there, instead of waiting until we were in that cramped Cheetah Zord, _he thought._ At least when I did it the second time around, I had a little more style. Though from the look in her eyes, you'd think she had no idea of what I'd planned to ask her._

He grinned as he remembered just how he'd asked her to marry him, less than twelve hours earlier. She'd come over that morning to see if he'd fully recovered from the effects of Klank's neural toxin. After demonstrating that he was quite healthy again, he'd left the room for a few minutes. Sheena had come looking for him, concerned, and found him in the living room. 

"Billy?" It wasn't often he heard that tone in her voice, of sweet worry and concern. He had beckoned her over to him. "Billy?" Confusion now, uncertainty. 

He'd turned to her, holding out a small ring box. She'd taken it, a startled look in her green eyes, and opened it. His grandmother's silver and sapphire ring had winked back at her. He had laughed when his mother gave it to him, thinking how appropriate it was for the both of them. 

He had taken it out of the box and looked at her, trying for all the love he felt to show both in his eyes and through the bond that linked them. Then he had dropped to one knee and took her left hand in his. "Sheena Devereaux, you are the only woman in all creation I could ever love in this way. I love you and can't be complete without you. Will you marry me?" 

Sheena, as the Silver Ranger, had faced thousands of Cogs, over a hundred monsters, and most recently had to lead the Power Rangers against not one, but two fierce enemies: the Decharger and the poison tree that had nearly cost both Billy and Tommy their lives. But now, as Sheena the woman, she stared at the man she loved... and was speechless. But not for long. 

"Yes Billy, yes!" The joy in her voice was as fresh and new as it had been over six months earlier, when they'd been returning to Earth in her Cheetah Zord. He'd gotten to his feet and they had kissed... called his parents to let them know... she'd gone to the Juice Bar to work out, he'd wanted to rest a while... then Tommy had come over. 

_And now she's gone to Eltar. Who knows for how long?_ Billy had reached his room by now, and sat on the bed. On the nightstand was a picture of the two of them together. He touched it gently. _Come home soon, Sheena. I miss you._

* * *

Sheena sat in the chair Telvok offered her, and tried not to show her excitement. She was really on Eltar, the ancestral home of every Power Ranger! 

"My lady Ranger," Telvok began. 

"Please," she interrupted. "Call me Sheena. It's been my name a lot longer than Silver Ranger has been my title." 

"Sheena," Telvok started anew. "Master Madas wishes you to study _ki-see _with him. There could be no better teacher for you in that art than him. He has been looking for someone like you for many years, someone who chose the art of their own will. He was quite pleased when he learned of you, believe me." 

Sheena nodded. "How do I find him?" 

"He sent this for you, should you decide to come." Telvok held out a scroll. "That's all he would tell me of it. I also have had a room prepared for you here in the Council Building, since you might wish to spend the night here. I don't know what time it is on Earth, but here on Eltar, it's close to nightfall. You can begin your quest tomorrow." 

Sheena nodded, her day _had_ been rather hectic. Starting off with Billy proposing... again, then Tommy's request for her to lead the Rangers, and now this! Her fingers strayed to the new ring on her left hand. Had she made the right choice coming here so soon after their official engagement? She could still see his blue eyes sparkling with love for her, and she knew she returned it with all her heart. 

"Your resemblance to your ancestor is uncanny, you know that, correct?" Telvok was watching her curiously. "People are going to know you for who you are, you realize?" 

"What?" She was startled out of her thoughts by his voice. 

"Your ancestor, and those of the other Rangers, were planetary heroes. We have several places dedicated to them, especially here." 

"Here?" Sheena wished for a moment her Eltaran studies hadn't been so devoted to _ki-see._

"This city was built on top of the site where the first Rangers fought the battle that banished Master Vile from our world forever. When it was built, a museum to honor those heroes was also constructed. It's still in existence, you might want to go by there. Even though the Silver Ranger couldn't participate in the fight, she is still highly honored by our people for her courage and self-sacrifice. Anyone who knows what Kahva Kilanye looked like is going to know you for a relative of hers." 

Sheena chuckled. "Where is the museum? Maybe I could squeeze in a visit tonight." 

"It's always open, go ahead." Telvok gave her directions to it. "This time of day there shouldn't be many people there." 

"Good." Sheena was suddenly nervous. If her ancestor was that famous here on Eltar, and she looked just like her ancestor... she shivered. Hopefully Master Madas wouldn't live in the city. She had a sudden desire for wide open spaces all around her... far from a city where people knew her face, but not her.

* * *

"It's all that Sapphire Ranger's fault, Klank!" Mondo still raged over the recent defeat of his latest scheme. "If he were still the powerless wimp he was when we got here, then he would have never been able to resist the toxin, much less come up with a cure for it!" 

"Quite right, Yer Nastiness." Klank knew right now the best thing to do was just agree with Mondo, no matter what he said. 

Mondo turned on his majordomo. "Create a new monster for me, Klank, one that can take on multiple forms, even those of a human. Let's see, the Power Rangers originally came from the planet Eltar, didn't they?" Klank knew Mondo's question wasn't a true one, but a rhetorical one. He answered his master nonetheless. 

"Yes, Eltar sire, and I already have one like that, a monster called Shifter," Klank supplied. What kind of scheme was cooking in his master's robotic brain now? 

"Excellent Klank! Send it to Eltar at once. I want to find out everything about the Rangers possible there, and find out if there are any _other_ unclaimed powers floating around that the Rangers might latch onto. If there are, I want them for myself! Is that understood, Klank?" 

"Yes sir, right away, Your Majesty!" Klank hurried to his lab to activate Shifter.

* * *

"Billy! We're home!" Billy was jerked out of his reverie by his dad's voice. He gulped, hoping the story he'd thought up while daydreaming over Sheena would hold water. He headed downstairs to be greeted by his mom. 

"Hey, Billy. Where's Sheena? I thought she was coming by to start plans for the wedding." 

"Kind of bad news, I'm afraid." He didn't have to fake the emotion in his voice. Both of his parents turned to stare at him. "She got a phone call about an hour after we called you and had to leave. An old friend of hers from back home is very sick, and Sheena went to be with her." 

"How long will she be gone?" Mrs. Cranston asked, frowning. "We should really start planning as soon as we can." 

"She wasn't sure, it could be a while. She didn't really want to go so soon, but her friend needed her." Billy hated lying, but he knew this was necessary to preserve the secrets of the Rangers. 

"Well, when you hear from her, try to find out just how long she's going to be," Mrs. Cranston told him. "We'll have to start planning the wedding the minute she gets back." 

Billy nodded, then headed back to his room. He didn't really feel like being around anyone at the moment. Sheena's absence was a very large hole in his heart.

* * *

Sheena stared up at the magnificent structure before her. When Telvok had told her of the Power Ranger museum, she'd _never_ expected anything like _this_: a gleaming multi-colored marble building with images of the various generations of the Rangers carved into it. 

The inside was just as beautiful as the outside, if not more so. Sheena turned in place, staring at the splendid holographic exhibits. Each generation was represented by an image of each team that shifted from the Rangers in uniform to an image of them in civilian clothes. The current team was shown as well, in full detail. As the hologram of the Sapphire Ranger shifted to one of Billy, a pang of homesickness and love entered her heart. They had posed her own image next to him, holding his hand. As she saw that, she longed for the touch of her beloved. 

She glanced around, there really weren't any crowds here. There were only about five or six others wandering around. She drifted about the exhibits, watching the fifteen thousand year history of the Rangers unfold. 

Sheena came to a display that struck straight into her heart. She saw, in vivid detail, how Kahva Kilanye's family died and how she had met Zordon and become the first Silver Ranger. As the tale unfolded, her heart almost broke once more at hearing how Kahva died rather than serve evil. To some it was just a tale... to Sheena it was a part of her own memories. 

Then the storyteller's voice pleasantly surprised Sheena when it said, "But the tale of the Silver Ranger ends not there. A short time ago, a brave descendent of Kahva Kilanye arose to take up the mantle of the Silver Ranger." 

Sheena couldn't believe her eyes as for the first time, she saw through outside eyes her own beginnings as the second Silver Ranger. 

"It's you!" a voice said in her ear, a voice full of wonder. She turned to see a tall, blonde man behind her. 

"What?" She stared at him. 

"You're her, aren't you?" He gestured at the hologram of herself. "Aren't you?" She blushed. "I knew it! I knew it was you! You're Sheena Devereaux, the new Silver Ranger!" 

Sheena shushed him, or tried to. "Please, I'm trying _not_ to get attacked by fans, if I can avoid it. Telvok told me people might recognize me, because I look so much like my ancestor. I... guess I didn't really expect him to be right." 

A thin smile creased the man's face. "I'm Zimmer, curator of this museum. Why are you here on Eltar, anyway? And can I help you with anything?' 

Sheena shook her head. "I'm enjoying the museum very much. As for why I'm here, Master Madas called me here, so I can study _ki-see_ with him." 

"I'm impressed." He did sound in awe. "Few have been_ summoned_ to study with him." 

"I was honored myself." She looked around at the other exhibits. "I didn't know Eltar cared so much about the Rangers." 

"Why shouldn't it?" Zimmer laughed. Sheena felt a tickle of unease suddenly. What was wrong? "The Power Rangers came from Eltar, and were this planet's greatest heroes for years!" 

A wave of pure unease washed over Sheena. She stumbled suddenly and Zimmer caught her before she hit the floor. "Are you all right?" 

"Yes." Sheena shook her head, trying to clear the odd feeling that had engulfed her. Zimmer was suddenly _much_ too close for her comfort. She backed up and he stepped after her. 

"Would you care for dinner tonight?" Something in his voice was promising more than dinner, and every sense she possessed was screaming at her to leave, now. 

"No," she shook her head firmly and showed him her engagement ring. "I'm engaged. We're going to be married in a few months." 

Zimmer sighed and stepped away. "Very well. Your young man is more fortunate than he knows." 

Sheena smiled. "And so am I." She turned to go, almost colliding with someone else who seemed to be leaving. "Excuse me," she apologized. He looked up at her, and his eyes went round. She sighed. _Another_ person who noticed how much she looked like Kahva. She left the museum before any Eltaran autograph hounds tried to mob her. 

Zimmer walked to the door of the museum and watched as Sheena vanished into the crowd. There was a strange smile on his lips as the Silver Ranger got out of his sight.

* * *

"Sire!" The spy whispered into his communications system. "King Mondo, I have important news!" 

Klank appeared on the viewscreen. "What is it, Shifter?" 

"Lord Klank, please, I must tell King Mondo this... he will want to know what I have discovered!" 

Mondo pushed Klank aside. "This better be good, my spy!" 

"Oh it is, my lord! The Silver Ranger is on Eltar!" Shifter rubbed his hands together with glee, a startlingly human motion. But since he was in human form, that was only natural, perhaps. 

Mondo stared. "What! The Silver Ranger is on Eltar?" 

Shifter nodded. "I overheard her and saw her, my lord. She has been called here by Master Madas, to complete her _ki-see_ training." 

"Klank!" Mondo screamed. 

Klank sighed, he was less than a foot from Mondo. "Yes, your Royal Nastiness?" 

"Send a fleet of Quadrafighters to Eltar immediately!" the Machine King ordered. "I want Sheena captured before she can complete her training!" 

Klank sighed, sometimes being evil wasn't worth it. "Sire, I dinna think that would be such a good idea." 

Mondo exploded. "Don't you dare question my orders, Klank!" 

"But sire, Eltar is heavily defended, and we would have to send all our forces to break through." Klank knew he would have to explain it to his master step by step. "By then, they would have had time to call for help. I'll send them, my liege, but our chances aren't good, I'm sorry." 

Mondo considered for a few minutes. Finally he said, "You're right, though I don't know how. Very well then, Sheena. Learn your art. You won't have a home or friends left to defend with it once you get back!"

* * *

Billy stared at his watch. What was Sheena doing now? It was nearly midnight, at least here on Earth. What time was it on Eltar? What sort of strange sights was she seeing? 

His communicator beeped, but it wasn't the usual six-tone note that meant he and the others were needed. Instead it sounded in three tones, and when he checked, the signal was coming in on a frequency only two of the communicators were tuned to receive: his and Sheena's. 

"Sheena to Billy. Did you try to contact me a few minutes ago? Is everything ok?" 

Billy smiled. It was amazing how much better everything looked now that he could hear her. "No, I didn't try to call you, but I was thinking about you. I miss you so much already. Have you found Master Madas?" 

"No, not yet. I've been exploring a bit, learning some about how the people here on Eltar feel about the first Rangers. It's beautiful here Billy, I wish you could see it." 

Billy sighed. "Maybe one day I will. So everything is okay so far?" 

"So far, so good. I'll start my quest tomorrow." She seemed happy, but there was a touch of wistfulness in her voice. "Hey, speaking of how everything is, are we safe with your parents? Calling them on the phone wasn't exactly how we'd planned to tell them we're engaged, you know." 

Billy had to laugh at that. "I think we'll be allowed to live. Mom says the news did more good for Uncle John than anything else had, they're already home. It's a good thing we called and told them when we did, or we'd end up waiting until you get back from Eltar. Mom's already talking about how she hopes you come back soon, and that she can't get too much done without you. Can you imagine how she'd be acting if we'd ended up waiting? Not knowing when you'll be back, that would've been a wild scene." 

A warm feeling ran through Billy as Sheena's rippling laughter sounded. "Yeah, this training might take a few weeks or a few months, who knows? If I showed up just a couple of days before we want to get married, and then we announced the engagement, you know, 'we're getting married and we want to be married in two days', I think they would skin us alive!" She paused for a moment. "By the way, I know I was supposed to go your place so your mom and I could start planning. What did you tell them?" 

"I told them that an old friend of yours was sick, and that you had gone to be with them. And I told them that we didn't know how long you'd be there, it might be a few weeks." 

"How did they take that bit of news?" 

"Well, they're disappointed naturally, especially mom, she's already planning things. But they seemed to take it pretty well. We just have to think up an old friend's name for you to use." 

Sheena paused for a second. There was a strange sort of wistfulness in her voice when she said, "I think I've got someone in mind, and that friend would understand if they were in this dimension. Ok, I still have some things to do here, and the sooner I do them, the sooner I can start my quest, and the sooner I can be with you. I love you Billy, forever and always. Tell everyone I said hi and that everything is going fine. Please take care of yourselves." 

Billy smiled. "I will and we will. I love you too, Sheena. Come home soon. Billy out."

* * *

Sheena sat back on the bed, a fullness in her heart that hadn't been there before she'd called Billy. She still wondered what the uneasy feeling she'd had in the museum had been, but dismissed it. Probably nothing more than being around the exhibit of her own personal past. Though she loved Billy and loved being a Ranger and loved how much her life had changed in the past six months, the genesis of it still bothered her. 

She sighed. Talking to Billy had perked her up, she refused to be let down again because of some silly 'uneasy feeling'. She remembered anew every time she spoke to him why she loved him._ Oh, Goddess, _she thought, _of all the blessings You've given me... of all the wishes I wished in my deepest heart You granted me... he is the one I treasure and thank You for the most._

She slipped under the covers, already falling asleep... and as slumber overcame her, the last thoughts through her mind were, _Billy and I are so lucky... nothing and no one can ever come between us... ever... _

* * *

Shifter slipped out of his hiding place and chuckled under his breath. These Eltarans were as foolish as Earth humans in some ways. It had been ridiculously easy for him to hide until the museum was empty. They were no challenge at all. 

Not like the Silver Ranger. It would be a true challenge to accomplish his mission without attracting her attention. But first he had to finish his task here. He headed back for the records room, he'd left it abruptly when he had heard her voice. He'd had to check it out to see if it really had been her: and it had been. 

He would be honored even more by his master if he fully completed his mission. He began to search carefully through the records he'd found, looking for anything and everything on the Rangers' powers. It was almost sunrise when he finished his search. 

"Shifter to King Mondo, come in, my lord." 

"Mondo's face appeared on the communications screen. "Yes? What do you have to report, my spy?" 

"I am afraid, Master, that there are no other Ranger powers without owners. The Sapphire Ranger claimed the last of them." 

The Machine King growled. "Is that all you have to report, Shifter?" 

Shifter shook his head quickly. "No, my lord. I have searched for more information, but found nothing of value here. I am going now to search out the ruins of the original Command Center Zordon built here on Eltar, and see if there are any records there that can be of use to you." 

"Excellent idea, Shifter," Mondo congratulated him. "But do not be seen by that blasted Silver Ranger. I don't want her knowing what I'm up to just yet. She, and the other Rangers, will find out when I want them to, and not before." 

"As my lord commands." Shifter ended the communications and sat back for a moment. How to _find_ the original Command Center was the next problem. The site hadn't been lost, but it was such common knowledge on Eltar, no one needed to write down where it was. Common knowledge: to an Eltaran! 

Muttering under his breath about the stupidity of all humans, no matter what their planet of origin, Shifter headed out of the museum and out of the city. Something he saw ahead of him made him hide quickly in the shadows. 

The Silver Ranger stood on the steps of the Council Building, talking to someone. "Your city is magnificent, Telvok. I truly enjoyed the museum and the curator was very nice. But I want to find a couple of places before I start my quest, just to satisfy my own personal curiosity about them." 

"And what are those?" the man she spoke to, Telvok apparently, replied. 

"I'd like to see if anything remains of Kahva Kilanye's farm, the one she and Dalien Kilanye had before... well, just before." Shifter grinned. Avoiding Sheena would soon be no problem, she'd be out of the city altogether. "And also, I'd like to see if I could find what's left of the original Command Center." 

Telvok nodded. "The farm is still kept as a historical landmark, and the Command Center ruins aren't really that far from here." He rattled off a series of directions and distances that meant little to Shifter, but Sheena apparently understood them. 

"Well then, I'd best be going. Thank you for your hospitality and help, Telvok." Sheena waved and started off down the street. Shifter altered his appearance slightly, then headed after her. She would lead him straight to the Command Center ruins.

* * *

Billy sat in the cockpit of the Phoenix Zord, sorting through the wiring. Adam's rewiring of the Zords during the fight with Decharger had to be repaired, and Billy needed something to keep his mind off Sheena's absence. He immersed himself in his work, trying not to listen for a soft step that he knew would not be coming, for a voice filled with love that he knew he would not be hearing. 

Other voices and footsteps did come, however. "- this time?" It was Adam. 

Billy heard Tommy reply, "A fake juniper tree. Kim was very upset when she found out what had happened to the bonsai." 

"I can imagine. But I guess even your lack of a green thumb can't hurt a fake bonsai, though," Adam teased. "Hey, look, there's Billy!" Billy waved down at his friends, then flipped on the communications system. 

"Hey guys." He told them what he was doing. 

"How are you feeling, Billy?" Tommy asked. 

"Better than I was. The bruising is almost gone completely and my neck feels a lot better. The toxin was causing a lot of the secondary bruising." _ Having Ranger powers to speed up your healing doesn't hurt either, _Billy thought. He adjusted the last few wires, then headed down to talk with them face to face. 

"Have you heard from Sheena yet?" 

"She called last night," Billy grinned at the memory. "She's doing fine, says hi to everyone." He filled them in on what she had told him. "Now I've got more work to do. You did a fine job rewiring the Zords, Adam, but now I've got to fix it all!" he chuckled. 

"We'll help," Adam offered. 

"We?" Tommy protested. 

"We." At Adam's nod and Billy's direction, they started in on the other Zords. Fixing the wiring back to normal wasn't really all that hard, just time consuming, and Billy found his thoughts drifting more and more towards Sheena. Her Zord was invaluable when it came to distracting monsters away from the main Zords, as was his. But he found he missed uniting with the other Zords to form something even more powerful. He sat back and stared up at the Zords scattered all throughout the holding bay. His Cave Wolf and Sheena's Cheetah stood side by side, the last two of the original Zords. He wondered what had ever happened to the other six. Together they had formed the first Megazord. Once the Cave Wolf and Cheetah had been capable of uniting with the other Zords, but now those days were gone. 

Or were they? Billy's eyes flicked back and forth between the Cave Wolf, the Cheetah, and the Red BattleZord that stood not too far away. Something clicked in his mind, and he smiled. "Tommy... I have an idea." 

The Red Ranger saw the creative spark in Billy's eyes and smiled. "Let's hear it."

* * *

Sheena looked out over the ruins, wonder in her eyes. This place reeked of history to her. Here had Kahva accepted her destiny as the Silver Ranger, here had all their ancestors been trained and given their powers, as the first generation of a legacy that went on even now. 

She wandered through the ruins, looking and exploring everywhere. She had never really had much of a sense of family in the world she'd grown up in. Being adopted, she'd always felt a touch removed from the instinctive love a family shared. That had changed when she'd come here and learned of her true ancestry. The Rangers were her family now... the Rangers, the Cranstons... the one who was both... she smiled as she once more touched her engagement ring. 

She started to leave, when her foot caught on something. "Blasted rocks," she muttered. She looked down and her eyes widened. "Those _aren't_ rocks." She dropped to one knee and pushed aside some rubble. She closed her eyes, trying to remember how the Command Center had looked. She couldn't normally get to Kahva's memories, not without a lot of effort, and they always came in brief flashes. "I think..." she looked around. "This was where the personal quarters were. So what are these?" 

She looked down at the collection of small rods at her feet, then touched her communicator, sending the signal to the Power Chamber. "Greetings, Sheena. How goes your journey?" 

"I haven't started my quest itself yet, Alpha, but I'm here at the ruins of the first Command Center, and I just found something unusual." 

Sheena picked up one of the rods in her free hand. "I found some strange rods here. They're cylindrical, about a foot long each, with slanted ends. They're about an inch across, crystal-like, pale blue, and seem somewhat fragile." 

Her eyes fell on something else near her. "They can be broken it seems, there's one here that's snapped in half." There was also a box there, with a slanted opening that looked as if it might fit the crystals. "There's a box here, too." She described it quickly. 

"Those sound like diary rods to me," Alpha supplied. "I'll teleport them here for examination. They could have belonged to Zordon or one of the first Rangers." A few seconds later, the rods and the box vanished. "Good luck on your quest, Sheena." 

"Thanks, Alpha. Tell Billy I love him," She knew she'd never be able to say that enough times. 

"I will, Sheena," The communicator went silent, and Sheena looked over the ruins one last time. She sighed and got to her feet. One more old place to look at, to link to one more area of her bloodline. The old Kilanye farm was a long way away, and she knew the sooner she arrived there, the sooner she could begin the quest that had brought her to Eltar in the first place.

* * *

As the Silver Ranger left the ruins, she didn't notice Shifter carefully moving among them. He searched quickly and thoroughly for hours, looking for anything she might have left behind. He paused suddenly, and pulled out a half-burned console. "I don't know how this survived all these years, but if it can help my master, then it will do." 

He examined the console carefully, then began to tap into the files it miraculously still contained. As the information coursed through his mind, he smiled coldly. "This changes much. King Mondo will find this very interesting."

* * *

Billy, Tommy and Adam entered the main area of the Power Chamber to find Alpha fretting over something. Zordon wasn't in his time warp, and Alpha was fussing over some strange-looking crystal rods. "What's up, Alpha?" Billy had almost finished the alterations to the Zords. 

"Oh, hello Rangers," Alpha looked over at them. 

"What are those, Alpha?" Billy indicated the crystals. 

"Diary rods. Sheena found them on Eltar and contacted us. I think they might have belonged to Zordon, because when he saw what they were, he vanished into his warp without saying anything or looking at them. 

NO, ALPHA, THEY ARE NOT MINE. AT LEAST, I DID NOT RECORD THEM. ELYSIA DID. 

"Elysia?" Tommy raised an eyebrow. 

MY WIFE. Even as Zordon answered, they remembered when they had heard her name before: when Zordon had told them why he had a wedding dress in the Power Chamber. But to hear him speak of her for only the second time, Tommy, Adam and Billy were suddenly not sure what they were supposed to do or say. Zordon himself broke the awkward silence. I WAS BEQUEATHED THE RODS AT ELYSIA'S DEATH, BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO BRING MYSELF TO LOOK AT THEM SINCE SHE DIED. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS ON THEM. I MUST ASSUME THAT THE ONE ROD WAS BROKEN WHEN THE COMMAND CENTER WAS DESTROYED. THEY WERE ALL INTACT WHEN I RECEIVED THEM. I HAD THOUGHT THEM LOST ALL THIS TIME. IT IS SURPRISING THAT ONLY ONE HAS BEEN DAMAGED AFTER FIFTEEN THOUSAND YEARS. Billy walked over to the rods and examined the damaged crystal. 

"Well, maybe the broken rod still has something on it, and if it does, then the others should too... that is, if you want Alpha or me to try and retrieve the information, Zordon." Zordon didn't say anything for a while, the Rangers were starting to think that maybe they should leave when he finally answered. 

YES, YOUR REASONING IS SOUND AS USUAL, BILLY. PLEASE, WILL YOU AND ALPHA TRY TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY INFORMATION LEFT ON THE BROKEN ROD? IT IS A PALE BLUE COLOR LIKE THE OTHERS, SO SOMETHING WAS RECORDED ON IT AT ON TIME. The three young men all looked at each other. Zordon had never done anything like that before, to ask one of them to do something for him, to do something so personal. Tommy and Adam offered to leave so that Zordon could have some privacy, but Zordon asked them to stay. I WOULD LIKE SOME COMPANY, AT LEAST FOR NOW. I'VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT ELYSIA FOR FAR TOO LONG. As Adam, Tommy and Zordon watched, Billy and Alpha placed the broken rod in the box and rigged up a contact between the broken end and the other end of the slot, hoping that would get the rod to play. The rod finally started to glow faintly. Alpha looked up at Zordon, sounding as if he wanted to give his master one last chance to back out. 

"Some of the data has indeed been lost, Zordon." Zordon silently nodded in reply to Alpha's warning. The little robot turned to the others. "What is left of the record will project behind you, Rangers." Tommy, Adam, and Billy all turned to look in the direction of where their old uniforms were kept on display. Soon the space between them and the wall was filled with a slightly faded and fuzzy image of a beautiful, dark-auburned haired young woman, they guessed she must have been in her mid-twenties. She had an olive complexion and Billy was certain that her eyes were a warm brown. She was sitting in the most beautiful garden any of them had ever seen. Zordon recognized it immediately. THAT IS ELYSIA, AND SHE IS IN OUR GARDEN, WHERE I OFTEN PRACTICED MY KATAS. THE ONLY PLACE MORE BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL ON ELTAR THAN OUR GARDEN WAS THE MEADOW SURROUNDING THE MYSTIC SPRINGS. Zordon fell silent as the image of his wife began to speak. 

"If you are watching this, my husband, then it means that I am dead, but I have accomplished what I needed to do, you are alive." She paused a moment before continuing. "I have seen two possible futures, one in which you are destined to fight against evil. Evil and darkness such as Vile and his dangerous teenage daughter Rita. I have seen another future, though, and that future does not bode well for our world, nor for any others that Vile and his like will try to rule. In that future, Rita has killed you." Tommy's eyes widened at that, they had all faced certain doom before, they had lost contact with Zordon in his warp before, and hadn't known if they would ever find him again. But to hear that Zordon could have died... it was unsettling to Adam and Billy as well, Tommy noticed. Elysia's image continued to speak. 

"She knows that she does not have the power to turn you to evil, so instead she will use me as bait to lure you to her, and she will kill you. The first cannot be changed, she will capture me, for I am life-bound and honor-bound to protect the Mystic Springs, I cannot allow her to destroy them. Soon I will send you to your brother Ninjor, to help him because she will send her minions to attack and try to capture him. This also cannot be allowed to happen, for Ninjor is destined to fight evil as much as you are. The fight against evil cannot afford to lose either one of you, you are both vital to the freedom of this world, and countless others. Do not blame yourself for my capture or death, for they were inevitable. I can only hope that it is you who is seeing this, that I have been successful, that you are alive and still fighting evil. I wish we could have grown old together, I wish we could have seen our child come into this world and grow up." Adam was stunned, Zordon had never said that he had lost a child as well as a wife. "Rita will want to try and take my gifts, she does not know that she cannot, for they are protected by the Springs. Even if she does destroy the Mystic Springs, the protection is eternal. Even I do not know all that I can do, but I know that I have gifts that are not yet known, gifts that will continue to be passed down my family line. Those gifts must be awakened at some point, and the only way I can do this is to send my gifts into the future, to find a time to be reborn in my family line. Sadly, they cannot be reborn in Melantha's line, her branch of the family has never been as strong with the gifts. They have the capability to care for the Springs as they need to be cared for, but they do not have the ability to take the gifts. I will tell you before I die that I am sending my gifts, so that you will know." 

The image went to static then, this part of the record had been lost when the rod was broken. Elysia's voice could be heard only in snatches. "Child... send... Kahva...," The record started to clear a few moments later. They could see Elysia again, she looked as if she were holding back tears. "I will love you forever and always, Zordon. You have always been a part of my heart, life, and soul, and shall always be. I could never have loved another the way I have, and always will, love you. I wish there were some other way for this to end, but there isn't. My heart can't stand the thought of never seeing you again, but I know that what will happen, must happen, for I can't let you die. Take care my beloved. I love you always." The rod stopped playing, no one knew what to say. A long moment of silence hung over the Power Chamber. Once again, it was Zordon who broke it. WHILE I WAS GONE, TO HELP NINJOR FIGHT OFF RITA'S WARRIORS, RITA WENT TO THE MYSTIC SPRINGS TO DESTROY THEM. SHE WAS TRYING TO FULFILL THE WISH OF HER FATHER, TO DESTROY WHAT HE COULDN'T HAVE. SHE KNEW THAT ELYSIA WOULD COME TO PROTECT THE SPRINGS, AND PLANNED TO CAPTURE HER. 

Billy finally asked one of the questions that was on the minds of all three Rangers. "Zordon, why did your wife mention Kahva's name, surely she never met her." Again the Rangers wondered if Zordon would answer. Quietly, their mentor did. 

WHEN ELYSIA WAS WITH CHILD, OUR CHILD, FOR ONLY TWO MONTHS, SHE HAD A VISION OF A YOUNG WOMAN NAMED KAHVA. SHE DID NOT KNOW IF THAT WOMAN WAS OUR CHILD IN THE FUTURE, OR SOME OTHER PERSON. BUT SHE KNEW THAT I WAS DESTINED TO BE HER TEACHER. I HOPED THAT IT WAS OUR CHILD, AND TOLD HER THAT KAHVA WOULD BE THE NAME OF OUR DAUGHTER. I WAS SO SURE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A GIRL... ELYSIA TOLD ME JUST BEFORE SHE DIED THAT SHE WAS SENDING HER GIFTS INTO THE FUTURE, TO FIND SOMEONE OF HER FAMILY LINE TO TAKE THEM, AND THAT I SHOULD TEACH MY RANGERS TO DO THAT ALSO. SHE SAID THAT WE COULD NEVER ALLOW OUR POWERS TO FALL INTO EVIL HANDS. SHE TRIED TO TELL ME SOMETHING ELSE, BUT HER LIFE WAS FADING TOO FAST. SHE DIED IN MY ARMS, AT THE HAND OF RITA REPULSA. SHE DIED, SAVING MY LIFE. OUT OF REVENGE AND SPITE, VILE SENT A SQUADRON OF HIS WARRIORS SOME YEARS LATER, BEFORE THE FIRST RANGERS WERE ASSEMBLED, TO WIPE OUT ALL OF ELYSIA'S FAMILY, SINCE HE COULD NOT GET TO NINJOR OR MYSELF. HE DID THIS TO GET BACK AT ME. THE LAST OF ELYSIA'S LINE WAS BANISHED TO ONE OF HIS DARK DIMENSIONS TO DIE, SO THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT TO RECEIVE HER GIFTS. THEY WERE LOST FOREVER. Tommy could have sworn that he saw Zordon crying in his warp, but unless he said so, they would never know for sure. 

ALPHA, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE RODS INTO MY FILES, SO I CAN LOOK AT THEM LATER. IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME, RANGERS, I WILL RETURN LATER. THANK YOU, BILLY, ALPHA. Though they couldn't see tears, the emotion in Zordon's voice was unmistakable. After Zordon disappeared, Billy offered to stay and help Alpha load the rods' information into the computer. Tommy and Adam left to meet with the others, they had to tell them what had happened. This was a side of Zordon none of them had ever seen, had known existed. Tommy couldn't help but look at the empty warp as he and Adam prepared to leave. 

_Zordon would have been a wonderful father, he's been like a father to us all. Rita hurt him so badly, and he's never told us, didn't want us to worry..._ Tommy felt a renewed conviction in his heart to rid their world once and for all of Rita, Zedd, Mondo, Vile; anyone who tried to overrun their planet. _Too many good people have given their lives, we have to stop them, one day, somehow... _

* * *

Sheena looked over the farm, smiling. It had been restored nicely, better than she'd thought it could look. One of Kahva's memories surfaced, of the farm in its full health and peak of performance. She wasn't sure which looked better, but felt the same wash of love Kahva had had when looking over it. The farm was a historical landmark, like all the original homes of the ancestral Rangers, and she wandered around, a strange feeling of being 'home' running all through her.

* * *

"Master! King Mondo, come in!" Shifter called urgently. "I have found truly fascinating news!" 

"What is your news, Shifter?" Mondo didn't look impressed, but then again, he seldom did. 

"Master, I have learned that Zordon and Ninjor joined a power source they had created with Power Crystals they found shortly after Zordon's wife died, and used them to empower the first Rangers." 

"Yes, Shifter - wait... Zordon was married?" This was news to Mondo. 

Shifter nodded. "Yes, her family was that which took care of the Mystic Springs." 

Mondo thought this unexpected bit of news over. "I've heard of the Springs, and that the people who tended them had special gifts. See if you can find any trace of the family, let me know what you find out." 

"Yes, King Mondo." Shifter switched off the communicator. Mondo looked at the Earth, greed in his cold eyes. 

"So, Zordon, you were once married to a powerful family. Maybe there aren't any Ranger powers that can be stolen, but what about your dead wife's family? Maybe I can use something there. Oh, that would be so fitting, destroyed by your own bloodkin! Oh yes, Zordon, I just might have a surprise for you soon."

* * *

"Greetings, Telvok." The curator of the Ranger museum shook hands with the council leader. 

"It's good to see you old friend," Telvok smiled. "Sheena, the new Silver Ranger, told me she enjoyed the museum yesterday, and enjoyed meeting you." 

The curator frowned. "I'm glad she enjoyed herself, but I didn't meet her." 

"Are you sure, Alacor?" Telvok looked at his friend. "She said the curator was very nice." 

"I didn't meet her," Alacor shook his head. "I might be old, but I'm not senile!" 

Telvok turned serious. "We might have a spy on Eltar, then." He turned to his communications console and touched a button. "I've ordered patrols to start sweeping the whole planet, we'll find out what's going on." 

Alacor rose. "May I borrow your communications for a few minutes, Telvok? I believe I should warn Zordon about this." 

"Are you certain?" Telvok was surprised. 

"Yes," he nodded. Telvok opened the channel to the Power Chamber, and Alacor spoke quietly. 

"Zordon, this is Alacor of Eltar. May I speak with you?" 

OF COURSE, ALACOR. HOW MAY I HELP YOU? Zordon sounded even more thoughtful than usual. 

"We have recently learned that there is someone on Eltar posing as the curator of our Power Rangers museum, a post I happen to hold myself. He went out of his way to speak to Sheena, but that is all we know of him. Telvok is beginning a planet-wide series of sweeps, hoping to flush him out." 

Zordon nodded thoughtfully. I UNDERSTAND, THIS COULD BE SOME PLOT OF MONDO'S. WE SHALL BE WATCHING FOR MORE ACTIVITY FROM THE MACHINE EMPIRE. THANK YOU, ALACOR. He hesitated a moment. ALACOR, YOU SEEM SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR TO ME. HAVE WE MET? 

"No, Zordon." Alacor took a deep breath. "But you do know my family, you were once intimately connected with it." 

Zordon seemed taken aback. I DID NOT KNOW ANY OF YOUR FAMILY HAD SURVIVED. 

"We went into hiding, and I am from a lesser branch of the family at any rate. Despite the risk this poses to all my blood, should certain evil forces learn of our existence, I believed this was necessary." 

THANK YOU ONCE MORE, ALACOR. Zordon smiled sadly. 

"It was my pleasure. May the Power protect you and your Rangers, Zordon." 

MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU, AS WELL, ALACOR. The communication ended, and Alacor turned back to look at Telvok. 

The Council Head looked sterner than Alacor had seen him in a long time. "You know, this could just be something harmless, some Power Ranger fan who wanted a chance to meet the new Silver Ranger, but didn't think she'd talk to just anyone." 

Telvok shook his head at Alacor's suggestion. "I have a bad feeling about this. Something's going on here on Eltar, and I won't rest until I find out what it is."

* * *

Sheena stopped on a small hill overlooking the farm and looked over it. She shook her head hard, trying to clear the memories that threatened to swarm to the surface by being here. 

"It was here," she whispered to herself, dropping to one knee to touch the ground with her fingertips. It practically seethed with memories. It was here that Kahva and Dalien had been attacked by Goldar. Dalien had died, Kahva had nearly died. 

She stood up, dusted off her hands, and looked around. It was time to start her quest. Time to begin the search for Master Madas. 

"Oh, hello there." She whirled at the strange voice, for some reason her thoughts flashing back to that strange Zimmer she'd met at the museum. It wasn't him, though. Instead, an old man stood there, looking at her with clear gray eyes. 

She nodded a greeting. "I'm the caretaker here," he told her. "How may I help you?" 

She looked at him briefly; he was quite old, probably around seventy in Earth-years. His thick white hair was haphazardly combed, and there were laugh lines under his eyes. He wore the Eltaran equivalent of trousers and a shirt, and there was a kind twinkle to his eyes. 

"I'm on a quest," she decided to be honest suddenly. "I'm searching for Master Madas. Do you know where he is?" 

The old man shook his head. "Can't help you. But you'd better be careful on your quest, young lady. It will not be easy." 

"I don't expect it to be," she smiled. "I want to work for what he teaches me: to earn it." 

He smiled. "And earn it you will. I must be going now, good luck on your quest." 

"Thank you," she smiled again as he left. She found she liked the old guy, though she couldn't say why.

* * *

"King Mondo, please come in! I have urgent news for you, sire!" Shifter called. 

Mondo came on the screen. "I was just about to start my sludge bath Shifter, this had better be important." 

"Yes sire, I'm sorry to interrupt you sire, but I have some information on Elysia's family." 

"Elysia? You mean Zordon's late wife? What have you found out?" 

Shifter began. "Well, sire, I haven't been able to find any of her line, it seems they are all apparently dead. The last of the line was supposed to have been sent to a dark dimension to die by Master Vile." 

"Why did that wrinkled wizard do that?" Mondo wondered. 

"I don't know for sure sire, but maybe it was to get even with Zordon. But before they were supposed to be sent to the dark dimension, there had been a rumor going around about Elysia's powers." 

Mondo glanced eagerly at Shifter. "Her powers? Don't hold back now Shifter, tell me!" 

Shifter continued, feeling more confident now. "Well, apparently a long time ago there was a rumor or belief that just before she died at the hands of Rita Repulsa, Elysia sent her powers into the future, to be reborn into her family line. Nobody seemed to know just what all she would have been able to do had she lived longer. But the rumor died out when the last of her line was supposed to have been banished by Vile." 

Mondo frowned. "You keep saying that, 'supposed'. Weren't they sent?" 

"Though Vile has long denied this, there are unconfirmed reports that they never showed up. Watch this old record I found at the ruins of Vile's tower, sire." 

The image changed to one of Vile blasting at a group of huddling people with a powerful beam of magic. A man stood in front of the others, holding his hands up, apparently trying to create some sort of shield. The scene faded, and Shifter returned. 

"I've seen Vile's spells before, that one doesn't look exactly right. Good work Shifter, keep looking, make sure you haven't missed anything, then report back here to the Skybase." 

"As my lord commands." Shifter bowed, then ended the communication. 

"KLANK!" Mondo bellowed. Klank hurried in to see what his master wanted. "Klank, watch this." 

He showed the majordomo what Shifter had just reported to him, then looked at his servant. "Get an energy reading from the father and make a device for me that can search all dimensions for it, or something very similar. Make sure that device can also transport anyone with that pattern here to our dimension." 

Klank examined the report for a moment, then said, "I can do that, sire, but it will take a long time to get it right, and to search through all the dimensions, there's no guarantee, sire. This could take several months." 

Mondo nodded, surprisingly agreeable. "More records would help in your search, Klank. We will send the Cogs over to Zedd and Rita's palace in small numbers, at random times to avoid Zordon finding out what we're doing, and have them look for any records that Rita or Vile may have left there. I have time, I can wait to spring this on Zordon. Get to work, Klank!" 

"As you wish, Majesty," Klank rushed back to his lab. Mondo chuckled to himself. "This plan cannot fail. Zordon and the Rangers won't even know what I'm plotting... until it's far too late to do anything about it."

* * *

Sheena unrolled the map Telvok had given her and took a long look at it. At the bottom was a small drawing of the Kilanye farm, which looked to be where she was to begin the quest. A line went from the farm, leading west, then stopped suddenly. 

"No way it's that short of a distance. It can't be more than a few miles," Sheena wondered. She glanced to the west, then started walking. "I guess I'll find out more there." 

At her normal swift pace, it didn't take her long to get to where the line ended on the map. She looked around, but this section of forest looked much like any other. "Wonder where I'm supposed to go from here?" 

She closed her eyes in thought. A small, soft sound caused them to fly open again. She looked around, she _knew_ she'd heard something. She listened more carefully; the tiny mewling sounded again. It was almost like how a cat or kitten would sound, if it were hurt. 

As soon as she was sure where it was coming from, Sheena headed there. She found something she did not expect: a mewling cheetah kitten. She hadn't even known cheetahs existed on Eltar! It was up in a tree, crying its tiny heart out. 

"Oh, the poor thing... it must have gotten separated from its mother." Sheena looked around, but saw no signs of a mother cheetah. "I'd better get you down from there." 

She carefully rolled the map up and put it away, then cautiously began to climb the tree. The cub spat and pulled away from her, and as Sheena wrapped her hand around it, she stifled an oath. "You bit me!" She jumped back to the ground, cradling the cub against her so it wouldn't be jarred. 

"Oh, you must be hungry." Sheena examined the little cheetah carefully, and discovered first, it was female, and second, that it was probably old enough to eat solid food. That was to the good, since all she had with her were some leftovers from dinner at the Council Building the night before. She carefully fed them to the cub and listened, smiling as it began to purr. 

"I hope I can find your mother, little one," she said. "But for now... you'd better stay with me. Telvok told me this forest can get pretty dangerous sometimes." 

Sheena unrolled the map again, hoping maybe she'd read it wrong, and found herself fighting with the cub as it tried to play with the parchment. As she looked over the map once more, her eyes widened in shock. A new line had appeared on the map, leading from where she stood now, tracing a course out of he forest and up into the mountains that rose over her head. 

Sheena took a deep breath, then had to grab the map quickly to rescue it from both an errant wind and the mischievous cub. She rolled the map back up and returned it to the backpack, a thoughtful look in her green eyes. Then, tucking the cub under an arm, she set out on her quest again. 

Carrying the cub, though, proved to be quite a bit of trouble, for like all of its kind and age, it was active. "All right, I'll put you down," Sheena chuckled. She set the little cheetah on the ground, then watched as it dashed off a few feet, stopped, and waited for her. It had gone in just the precise direction she was traveling in. Sheena was less and less inclined to think that her encounter with the cub was a coincidence. 

"I wonder just what you were doing up in that tree?" She mused as she walked, watching the cub play and wander along the way. "I don't remember reading about cheetahs being native to Eltar, but someone could've imported you, I suppose. And there's a lot more I don't know than I do about this place." 

The cub stopped and looked at her, capturing her gaze with its own. Sheena smiled a trifle. "Your eyes are the same color as mine, little one." 

Shortly thereafter, Sheena and the cub reached the mountain pass where the new line on the map ended. Sheena paused and looked around, enjoying the clear air and sparkling skies. She took a deep breath and smiled softly. "I wish I could share this with Billy. He'd love it here." 

A fierce roar split the air suddenly. The first thought through her head was to find the cub; it couldn't protect itself, it was too young. A small voice in her head told her to leave the cub, continue her quest, but she ignored that voice of cowardice. She ran in the direction she'd seen the little cheetah going, to find it cowering beneath the ferocious visage of something she couldn't even begin to describe. A small part of her mind began to tick off the few things she could recognize about it. 

It had four legs, a tail with a venom-dripping stinger, and the most powerful set of jaws she'd ever seen on any living creature. Sheena didn't stop for a second, but leapt towards the cub. She snatched the little cheetah up into her arms, then backflipped to a ledge above the beast. Facing the drooling creature, she spoke quietly, forcing calm into her voice. 

"I don't know if you can understand me, but if you can, leave this place. This cub is under my protection, as _ki-see_ student hopeful and as the Silver Ranger, and you shall _not_ harm it." 

The creature seemed to be looking at her, but since she wasn't entirely sure where it's eyes were, or even if it _had _eyes, she couldn't be certain. It roared again, but Sheena didn't move an inch, doing her level best to stare it down. After almost five minutes, the creature turned and left. Sheena looked after it, her heart beating even faster now that it was gone. Five minutes after it had left, she leaned carefully against the rock, wiping the sweat from her brow at last. 

"Little one," she sighed. "That was the most scared I've been in a long time, and I have been very scared a lot of times over the past six months." 

The cheetah cub looked up at her, then she was delighted to hear it purring softly. Sheena settled down on the ledge and pulled out the map again. Maybe another piece of the trail would have appeared by now. She was gratified and surprised to find that it had. This fragment led through some of the most treacherous terrain in the mountains... she hoped she was up to this type of hike. 

"I wonder just where Master Madas lives," she thought as she beckoned the cub to join her. She smiled gently as it paced alongside her, the living essence of her own beloved Cheetah Zord. Thinking of her Zord made her think of the Rangers... and of Billy. 

"Oh, Billy, I wish you were here now. I miss you." Her fingers touched the engagement ring again, it made her feel closer to her beloved. "But the sooner I find Madas... the sooner we'll be together again." 

Sheena climbed through the mountains, helping the cub over some rough spots when she had to. She wondered why the cub stayed with her, since it could easily have left if it wanted to, and the only reason she could come up with was that it liked her since she had fed it. "I should give you a name," she thought as she climbed over a particularly large rock. "But I can't think of anything that would fit." 

Sooner than she'd thought she would, Sheena reached the end of that section of the trail. Two passes led out of it, one leading west, the other south. She took out the map again and looked at it. Something always happened before the next part appeared, and she wondered just what it would be here. She had the idea that Madas was behind this somehow, but she wasn't sure how. "No good quest is complete without trials," she murmured half to herself, half to the cub that sat, tail swishing, only a few feet from her. "I guess these are mine. I just wish I knew what I was being tested for." 

"To see if you're fit to be a _ki-see _student, of course." The voice startled her, and for one second she looked at the cub. It looked calmly back at her. "What else would you be tested for while you're searching for the master of _ki-see_?" It wasn't the cub, unless it was telepathic. 

"Who are you?" she asked, looking around. "Master Madas?" 

"What makes you fit to be a _ki-see_ student?" the voice asked instead of answering her. "It is a high honor." 

"I was asked to come here, by Master Madas himself, if you're not him," Sheena replied. "He wanted to teach me." 

"That is not true," the voice replied coldly. "_Ki-see_ is an art of truth and beauty, how can you expect to learn it if you cannot speak the truth?" 

"It _is _the truth!" Sheena leaped to her feet. "I _was _asked here!" 

"You are a Power Ranger, and do not understand the essence of truth? The world you protect must be in sad shape then." 

Sheena snapped, "I _do_ understand truth!" 

"Then speak it, Sheena Devereaux." The voice turned cold and menacing. Sheena was reminded harshly of Mondo, and it wasn't a sound she enjoyed hearing. Her lips compressed, and three words rose to her lips. "Silver Rang-" she stopped suddenly, a sudden wave of relief washing over her as realization filled her mind. She smiled. 

"I started studying _ki-see_ because it fascinated me when I heard of it. I studied on my own for three months before I even knew Master Madas existed. I came here when he extended his invitation, turning down the chance to lead the Rangers of my world, because I knew I wasn't ready. I'm hoping that this training will help me to become ready." 

"So you _want_ to take your friend's position as leader of the Rangers?" 

"I want what's best for the team," she replied confidently. "I trust Tommy's judgment, and that of the others. They want me to be their leader, and I will do my best to fulfill that trust, once I feel that I have_earned_ it." 

"Who told you that you were good enough to become a student of the last master of _ki-see_ in this or any other world?" 

"No one," Sheena smiled. "That's what I'm here to find out." She waited for a few minutes, but the voice didn't return. She checked the map again, and saw that she was right, another section of the trail had appeared, this time leading down through the western pass, towards the setting sun. She looked for the cheetah cub, and saw it still where it had been, staring calmly at her. "I wonder just what you are, little one, other than totally adorable." 

The cub walked over to her and began to curl around her ankles, purring like any common housecat. She smiled. "I wish I could take you home with me, but I'm afraid you're just going to have to stay here when I leave." 

Sheena started down the trail, the cub once more following in her footsteps. She glanced at the sun, and sighed. She'd lost track of the number of times she and Billy had watched the sunset together. Oh well, that was Earth and this was Eltar, and she had a job to do here, just as she did there. 

The trail led her to a broad mountain valley with a clear stream bursting out of a ravine, and birds singing in the tall trees that surrounded everything. The cub ran to the stream and began lapping up water thirstily. Sheena realized it had been too long since she drank, and went there as well. Once she'd drunk, she took the map out and looked at it one more time. The trail still ended here, and she glanced around. This valley was beautiful, but was it where her quest ended? 

"So, we meet again." She turned to see the old man she'd met at the Kilanye farm there. "I don't believe you introduced yourself when last we met." 

Sheena was so taken aback, she simply replied, "Sheena Devereaux." 

He nodded. "What are you doing here?" 

"I'm looking for Master Madas, like I told you before." Sheena looked at him. There was something about him... it was almost eerie. She glanced at her map, then back at the man. 

"Why do you seek him?" he asked. There was an odd light in his eyes. 

"He's going to teach me _ki-see,_ I hope," she said slowly. The light was... growing. She _couldn't_ be seeing this. He was _glowing_! "If I find him, which would mean I'd passed the tests he wanted me to pass before he'd teach me." 

"Oh? Do you really think he will if you find him?" 

"I don't know," Sheena's heart beat faster and faster as a wild hope leaped up within it, mixed with an awe like she'd never felt, not in her entire life. "But... I'd like to learn from you... Master Madas, if you'll teach me." 

The glow surrounded him now, extending almost an inch from his skin. "Yes, I am Madas. You fulfilled my request and found me. You live and know the five principles of _ki-see,_ Sheena Devereaux. You are the first of the Power Rangers to study the art, and I hope you will not be the last." 

Sheena took a deep breath. "That's what those tests or whatever were for, weren't they, sir? To see if I knew the principles?" 

"Not just if you know them, but if you _live_ them. The principles of _ki-see_ are: compassion, courage, humility, honesty, and wisdom. You rescued Casach from the tree: compassion." 

"Casach?" Madas whistled and the cheetah cub leaped over to him. 

"This is Casach, she is my friend and companion. I set her in your path to follow with you, and to keep an eye on you." 

"She's very beautiful and very well-behaved," Sheena smiled at the cub, Casach. "I didn't know cheetahs existed on Eltar as a native species." 

Madas grinned. "They don't. Casach is from Earth; I found her there while visiting a few weeks ago. That's when I saw you practicing the art, by the way." 

"I didn't see you." 

"Of course you didn't: I didn't want you to," he continued. "You proved your courage when you faced down the leprok to save Casach, and your humility when you spoke to the Voice of the Desert." 

"What was that, anyway?" The glow still surrounded him, but it had really ceased to make an impression on Sheena. It just seemed a part of him now, though she _was _curious about it. 

"I'm not sure myself," Madas grinned. "As for your honesty: you admitted you didn't know if I'd train you, and you showed your wisdom when you figured out who I was. You are worthy as none other I know, Sheena Devereaux." 

"Thank you, sir." Sheena smiled softly. The glow began to increase, and she found herself only able to stare for almost a full minute. "Sir... what makes you... glow like that?" 

"There is a reason _ki-see_ is called the Dance of Light." The glow faded suddenly. "Come, Sheena. You have much to learn."

* * *

"Happy birthday, Billy!" The cheers were as resounding as several dozen voices could make it, but Billy could plainly hear the lack of one special voice. This was his first birthday both with and without Sheena. With her in his life, but without her being there. 

The Juice Bar was full of people, but not one of them was Sheena. The presents, mostly dealing with science, were wonderful, but none of them were from Sheena. He sat at a table, glancing almost absently at his communicator. 

"Billy?" It was his mom. "You miss her, don't you?" 

"More than I can say," he said honestly. "This is my first birthday where she was even my girlfriend, much less my fiancée... and she's not here." 

"She would be if she could be, you know that." Mrs. Cranston laid a hand on his shoulder. 

"She's been gone two weeks, mom. She hasn't called in a while, either. I - I hope she hasn't forgotten about me." That was something he'd been afraid of since she'd left, that while surrounded by the glamour of unfamiliar surroundings, she would forget him. 

"I'm sure she'll call." Mrs. Cranston smiled at him. Billy sighed, then returned to staring at his cup of juice. "Cheer up Billy, after all, you are nineteen today." 

"Yeah." His eyes were on his communicator. For once, he wanted it to go off, but in three tones, not six. 

"Billy?" It was Tommy, his mom had left. "Thinking about her, huh?" 

"Who else would I be thinking about?" he said, a trifle sadly. "The last thing we heard from her was that she'd finally reached Madas and was beginning her training. That was two weeks ago." 

"She's probably just really involved in whatever he's teaching her," Tommy advised. 

Billy smiled. "She's going to be very surprised when she gets back, and finds out about our little surprise, isn't she?" 

"I think she'll like - no, love it!" Tommy grinned, then sighed. "You know, I think you and I miss her most of out of all of us." 

Billy nodded. "Mondo hasn't done much since she left, and I'm grateful for the reprieve." 

Almost as if it were a cue, Billy's communicator beeped. His heart froze for a second, then he relaxed as it ended on three tones. He almost laughed as Tommy said, "Go take your call, Billy. I'll cover for you if I have to," Tommy smiled. Billy quickly went to a secluded area of the Juice Bar and tapped his communicator. 

"Sheena?" 

"Happy birthday, Billy!" That was the sweetest sound he'd heard all that day. "I would've called sooner, but, well," Sheena giggled, "I forgot. Master Madas reminded me. We just wrapped up our morning session; I've only got a few minutes, it was either call you or have lunch. You were more important than food, at least today." 

He laughed. "So, you're enjoying yourself?" 

"More than that, I'm _learning_ more than I ever thought existed about _ki-see._ The training tapes in the Power Chamber didn't begin to cover it all. The only time I've been happier was when I was with you," Sheena even sounded more sure of herself. "There's only one thing I miss in all of what I'm doing now." 

"What's that?" 

"_You_, silly!" she laughed. "I love it here, but I love you more. I miss you." 

"I miss you, too," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "We all do. When will the training be done?" 

"I don't know," Sheena said quietly. "But when it is, I'll be coming home. I want to be with you guys: and with you." 

"I can't believe how much I miss you," he told her honestly. 

"Billy, if you'd known when Telvok called the Power Chamber to give me Master Madas' message everything that would have happened between now and then, would you still have let me come?" 

"I never just let you go. You wanted to and I encouraged it." He smiled a little, even knowing she couldn't see him. "And yes, I would have." 

"Oh Billy," she sighed, pure love in her voice. "What did I do to deserve someone as wonderful as you?" 

"I love you too, Sheena!" He tried to put all his love and caring into his voice and plunging down their bond. "I wish you were here with me." 

"I wish I was, too." There was such sweetness in her voice his heart ached. "And I will be: when my training's done." 

A second voice came quietly over the communicator. "Sheena, the lunch break has ended. I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but the training must continue." 

"Is that Madas?" 

"Yes, and I've got to go," Sheena sighed. "Billy, I hope to be home soon." 

"When you are," his voice promised all his love and more, "I'll be the happiest man in all the world." 

"I love you, Billy." 

"I love you, Sheena."

* * *

Sheena sighed and lowered her arm. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten Billy's birthday. She'd been surprised when, after morning practice, Madas had reminded her quietly that today was something special. For a moment, she thought she'd already completed her training, only to find out he'd meant something a little more than that. 

"Sheena?" his voice broke into her thoughts. "Time to practice." 

She got to her feet, untangled Casach from her ankles, and went to the practice area. "I miss him so much, Master." The title came easily to her lips where Madas was concerned, carrying connotations only of love and respect. "I almost wish I hadn't come sometimes, when I think of him." 

Madas shook his head. "Sheena, I did not force you to come, nor do I force you to stay. You may leave when you wish." 

Sheena sighed again, she already knew what her answer was to this. "Master, I will leave: when I'm done with my training. I didn't come all this way and go through everything I did for nothing. Shall we begin?" 

He shook his head. "You're not thinking straight yet Sheena, you couldn't concentrate on what I was teaching you and you know it as well as I do." 

She nodded reluctantly. "What am I going to do? I want to learn... but right now, I've got Billy on my mind." 

Madas came over next to her and motioned for her to sit. "Sheena, look at me. I'm old: very old, and I don't know how much longer I'll live. You are the last student I'll ever have." 

"How - how do you know that?" Sheena stiffened, she'd only been here two weeks, and already she loved Madas like the grandfather she'd never really had. "You're not sick or anything are you?" 

"The only illness I have is old age, but I'm still good for a few years yet," he grinned at her. "But there will never be another student after you, I knew that before I called you here. I won't be_ able_ to teach for much longer. The art must continue, and it will continue: with you." 

"Not if I keep getting distracted." 

"You have to learn to focus your thoughts and your mind in battle or training. If you let yourself get distracted in battle, you're vulnerable, and in a fight, you shouldn't be thinking about what you and your beloved are going to be doing later that night." She blushed a touch at the thought of what that would likely be. "You do, however, have to be aware of the others you're fighting side by side with." 

"How?" Sheena protested suddenly. "He's all I can think of right now!" 

Madas jumped up suddenly from beside her, coming at her with a full-fledged attack. Sheena didn't bother to react, she _acted_, backflipping so that there was suddenly five feet of space between them. He didn't stop there, driving at her with all his strength and skill. Thoughts of Billy were driven from her mind as she was forced to defend herself against her teacher. She blocked what blows she could, fought back when she could, and took the strikes when she had to. After almost ten minutes, he stopped and looked at her. 

"You weren't thinking about Billy, were you?" he challenged her. 

Sheena shook her head, keeping her eyes fastened on him for another sneak attack. He'd done this to her before, initiating a practice session when she wasn't expecting it. The first time she'd almost broken her own neck trying to get away. Now she fought back; knowing he'd just increase the difficulty of the session if she didn't. "I didn't have time to." 

"Exactly. And I attacked you the way I did for a reason. You protect your chosen world from Mondo: would he let you have time in the middle of a battle to think lovingly about your husband?" 

Sheena took a deep breath, and shook her head. "You're right. I have to focus more clearly on why I'm here, not who I left behind to come here." 

Madas nodded, then continued both his lecture and the training session. She couldn't yet speak and fight at the same time, but she could and did listen as he spoke. "Don't cut yourself off from your emotions, that's not what I'm trying to teach you here. But there's a time and a place for everything. If you're distracted during combat, you're vulnerable. It's not easy, but you must find a balance between your heart and mind. If you're thinking "Do I need to do this to help him in the fight?" that's fine, but "there's a nice little romantic spot I'd like to take him to tonight," is likely to get you and your teammates killed. You are to be leader when you return, correct?" 

"Tommy's asked me to," Sheena managed to gasp out as she balanced on one hand on a ledge overlooking the training area. She flipped off it, landing on her feet, and continued. "I don't know if I'm up to it, but I do trust his judgment, and that of the others. I'll give it my best." 

"When you're leading them in a battle, you have to have a complete balance of your mind and heart, they must work together, not against each other. The mind gives you the control, the skill, and the strategy. The heart gives you the will and the energy, the courage and strength and passion. If the heart takes control too much, you might overstep your bounds, or miss something. If the mind has too much control, you might do something coldly that could cause innocent people to get hurt. Find the balance, then you can make the best decisions possible for each situation." 

Sheena nodded, grasping what he was telling her. As she spun in a carefully controlled circle, her practice sword coming easily to her hand, she found it easier and easier to simply slip into the _ki-see_ frame of mind. She no longer recited the litany, she didn't need to in order to focus anymore. She had only to begin the movements, and the _ki-see_ dispassion and discipline came over her like a comforting blanket. 

Madas watched as she whirled and danced around the training area, her young limbs moving in perfect concert with what he taught her. In all his years of teaching, he had never met a student such as her, one who came so naturally to the art. It was almost as if she'd been born knowing it at times. She flipped over backwards, her sword in one hand, landing on one foot, and leaped off again, driving towards him with a strength only the young possessed. He had skill and experience, though, and she wasn't quite paying as much attention to her footwork as she should. He stepped back, moved to one side, and casually tripped her. 

She looked up, dust all over her hair and face, and laughed. "Guess I should have been watching my feet, huh?" 

"Not yours, mine," he corrected. "Your body knows what it should do, but you don't know what your opponent is doing. Watch your adversary, and learn what you should from them in order to complete the fight. The litany of _ki-see_ not withstanding, your foes _do _have hearts, minds, souls and all the rest, and they can learn from you even as you learn from them. The litany is a tool of focus, and you know you've moved beyond needing that." 

She nodded, and he began to demonstrate the next technique. Her quick mind absorbed all he taught her, both physically and mentally. He drilled her in daylight and darkness, getting her accustomed to fighting in any conditions, any weather, any terrain. They didn't just stay in the valley either, he took her to jungles, deserts, oceans, higher up into the mountains, and into cities, towns, and villages, training her in every situation he could imagine, and some he invented just for her. She learned meditation techniques that would help her in recovering some of Kahva Kilanye's memories, should she want to, and ways to defend herself against certain forms of magical and psychic attacks that might come. He taught her Eltaran history and the lore of the forest that even she, a lifelong witch in tune with nature, did not know. She learned a good deal about her own family's history, and was surprised to discover that Eltar had kept up the family records even after the Kilanye descendants moved off-planet. 

"Why?" she wondered. 

"Because it was always known that one day a descendent of Kahva Kilanye would come to be the Silver Ranger again, and we kept up as best we could with them. They vanished from the scene about three generations ago, however. We thought for a time Vile had exterminated the line, since he had hounded each member of the family until their deaths, it seemed." 

She frowned. "He found my mother though, and found me. I wonder whatever happened to her after I was born. That's been bothering me for a while, my natural mother must be somewhere, at least records of her. I'd like to find her." 

"Maybe you will someday," Madas shrugged his shoulders. "But I can't help you there, much as I wish I could." 

Sheena sighed, then snapped her right arm up to block the sudden strike her teacher aimed at her. He laughed. "You've learned well, Sheena... _very_ well." 

She got to her feet and for the first time in weeks, actually noticed the communicator on her wrist. "Master... how long have I been here?" 

"Two months," he smiled. "And it's time for you to go home, actually." 

"What?" That startled her, she hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly. 

"Sheena, you've learned all I can teach you, and more than I actually thought you would," he told her candidly. "You are the finest student I have had in sixty years of being a _ki-see_ teacher and master. But you yourself aren't a master yet." 

"What do you mean?" She frowned, her training was done, but she wasn't a master? 

He looked seriously into her eyes, and the_ ki-see _glow surrounded him suddenly. She knew now he did that, not to show off, but because what he was about to tell her was very serious. "You have learned well the lessons I have taught you, Sheena, but there is one final test you must pass. And that test, I cannot say what it is or when it will happen. But for now, you have completed your lessons. Once you have passed this final test, a true master of_ ki-see_ you will be." 

"How will I know this test, Master?" she wondered. "How will I know when I'm being tested?" 

"When one is at peace with who one is, when one has accepted the truth, then shall that one have passed the test. You are not the only one who will have to pass this test, Sheena. The child of the prophecy will have to go through her own trial, and she will have to go through it alone, just as you will have to face yours alone. Remember this: when one is loved, one is never alone, even when there is no one else beside you. Believe in yourself, and you shall pass your test." 

The glow faded, and Madas smiled slowly at her. "I have faith in you, and in the wisdom of Kahva Kilanye. She chose wisely in you, and you are a fit heir to both her power and to what I have taught you. You are the only true natural I have ever taught. I have a gift for you before you go, however." 

"A gift?" Sheena was still somewhat in shock over her training being over. She realized distantly she hadn't spoken or indeed thought of her friends or Billy since his birthday. Her training had consumed everything. But now, she was so overwhelmed with homesickness, she could barely stand up straight. "What kind of gift?" 

"This." He held a pendent out to her of fine silver, with a medallion hanging from it and two stones set on it amid runic markings. She took and examined it carefully. A sapphire and ruby lay next to each other, with the runes draw around them both. 

"What does this mean?" she wondered. "My birthstone's the ruby, Billy's is the sapphire, I know that. But what are the runes?" 

"The ancient language of _ki-see_," he told her. "The runes mean 'together forever, forever together'. I believe it is appropriate for how you and Billy feel about each other, correct?" 

Sheena blushed and nodded. Then she surprised both of them by hugging him strongly. "Thank you, Master Madas, thank you for everything, for the training and the necklace and well... just for_ everything_!" 

He hugged her back, and smiled. "Now get your things, your friends and your husband will want you home as soon as you can get there." 

"I'm going back to Ladiska first," she told him, naming the city she'd first arrived in when Telvok had teleported her from the Power Chamber. "I want to say good-bye to Telvok." 

Madas nodded, then helped her pack the few things she'd collected over the past eight weeks. Before she set off though, she looked at him. "I loved my time here, it was educational, it was fun, it was glorious, and I hope I'll get to come back here to Eltar someday." 

Madas smiled, and she saw a flicker of the glow around him. "You shall return, Sheena, when the first and the last of the past come home here to Eltar, you shall return." 

She knew he wouldn't explain, he never did his most cryptic statements, and that was one of the most confusing things he'd ever said to her. She smiled and waved her good-byes, then set off back to Ladiska.

* * *

"Billy, we're taking heavy damage over here!" Tommy avoided a shower of sparks deftly as Mondo's latest creation smashed into the Zeo MegaZord. "We need some help!" 

The Cave Wolf Zord leapt from the top of a building onto the back of the monster, tearing and clawing at it. "What we need is Sheena!" the Sapphire Ranger muttered under his breath; and for once he wasn't thinking romantically when he said it. He glanced briefly at the new set of controls in his Zord, and wondered if they should risk his new invention just yet. 

The monster twisted then, pulling his Zord off its back, and threw him into a wall. "Billy, you all right?" Adam asked quickly. 

"I'll be fine, just keep him off me long enough so I can get back on my feet," Billy pulled at the controls, trying to get upright. He saw a flash off to one side, and recognized Mondo. The Machine King had come to Earth to watch the battle, and Billy didn't have the time or energy to spare to even so much as throw a dirty look at the evil monarch. 

"This is most entertaining Klank," Mondo observed as the battle raged. "Without Sheena to help them, I do believe the Rangers will lose this battle! That one extra Ranger makes so much of a difference when she's not here!" 

Klank nodded. "Aye, sire, and with you blocking communications and teleportation, even if she learns of the battle, she canna get here to help her friends!" 

Mondo smiled wickedly. "This world, and all others, will be mine!" he gloated.

* * *

The return trip to Ladiska took much less time than the outward journey to find Madas had. Sheena was almost humming with joy as the council building came into sight. The pendent Master Madas had given her hung just over her heart, and she touched the sapphire on occasion, thinking of Billy when she did so. As she started up the steps to the building, she brushed against someone. 

"Sheena!" She looked up to see Zimmer, she recognized him instantly, and smiled a warm greeting. "I didn't know you were still on Eltar." 

"I'm preparing to leave in a few minutes actually, I was just going to say good-bye to Telvok and call the others to let them know I was ready to come home," Sheena told him. 

"I see. Well, it looks like I'm just in time to wish you a fond farewell," he chuckled a little. "Oh, that's a lovely necklace. Did Master Madas give that to you? Have you completed your training then?" 

"Yes and yes." 

"May I be so bold as to see it? I've appraised quite a few gems at the museum," Sheena unfastened it, but kept hold of the chain as he took a long look at it. As he handed it back to her, he said, "That's a fine pendent there, you must be careful not to lose it. To see a sapphire and ruby set together like that is very unusual. Safe journey, Silver Ranger." He took her hand gently and kissed it, then continued on his way without another word. 

"What a strange man," Sheena murmured as she entered the council building. She flexed the hand he'd kissed, his own hands had been quite cold. She dismissed the thought as she entered Telvok's chambers. "Hello, Telvok." 

"Sheena!" he smiled at her. "Are you done then? With your training?" 

She nodded. "I wanted to come by and say farewell to you before I left." 

"I'm glad. Oh, there was something I wanted to tell you. It seems that the man you met at the museum when you first arrived, who claimed to be the curator, wasn't Alacor." 

"Alacor?" she frowned. 

"He's the museum curator... the _real_ one. For some reason, someone was posing as the curator to speak with you," Telvok told her. "Do you have any idea why?" 

Sheena thought back to her recent re-encounter with Zimmer, then shook her head. "Probably he just wanted to talk to the Silver Ranger, I had to deal with that when Master Madas and I spent some training time in some of the towns and things, everyone wanted to know what it was like having my ancestor's looks and powers and everything." 

Telvok nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps. We'll be looking into the matter though, and if we learn anything different, rest assured we'll let you know." 

"Thanks," she smiled. "Well, I'd better call ahead and let the others know I'm coming." She touched her communicator lightly. "Sheena to the Power Chamber, do you read me, Zordon?" 

Nothing but static answered her. Sheena tried again, this time on the private frequency Billy had tuned their communicators to receive. "Billy, this is Sheena, what's going on?" 

More static. "Telvok, something must be going on. I'm going to try and teleport." She attempted to trigger her communicator's teleportation mode, only to have that fail as well. "This must be Mondo's doing. The team needs me, but I can't get there!" 

"I can teleport you there," Telvok told her. "Mondo's blocking the Power Chamber's equipment, not ours. I can send you straight into the Zord Holding Bay; you'll probably need to go straight into battle." 

She nodded. "Let me dress for it first," For the first time in two months, Sheena morphed into the Silver Ranger. "All right, Telvok, it was fun while it lasted, but the Power Rangers need me. Send me home." 

"Farewell, Sheena." Telvok hit the coordinates for the Zord Holding Bay, and Sheena, along with her belongings, vanished in a sparkle of silvery light that coursed across the Eltaran sky and into space. 

Below the Council Building, Zimmer looked up as the flash of light that was the Silver Ranger crossed the sky. "Farewell, Sheena Devereaux. I'll see you soon, my dear."

* * *

Sheena materialized in the Zord Holding Bay, not far from her own beloved Cheetah Zord. She dropped her things and was heading for it when she almost tripped over Alpha. "Ay-yi-yi, I hoped that was you, Sheena! We detected energy coming in from Eltar, but we'd received no communications from you!" 

"Mondo's blocking them, I think. I tried to get through, but didn't get an answer," she told the little robot. "What's going on?" 

"Mondo's sent down one of his worst monsters, the Crystal Carrier, anything it zaps with its Crystal Ray turns into crystal," Alpha told her. "It's already got the Zeo MegaZord down, and when we checked last, just a few moments ago, the Red BattleZord was almost down, and I'm not sure how long Billy can last, either." 

"What about the Super Zeo MegaZord?" she asked. 

"They're fighting with that now, but it's not going well." 

YOU ARE NEEDED, SILVER RANGER, AND WELCOME HOME. 

"Good to be home, Zordon, but I've got friends to save. Alpha, could you take my things to my room, while I go show Mondo it's not nice to play while the Cheetah's away," Alpha laughed at the mild joke, then started carrying her things off. Sheena leaped up into the Cheetah Zord and headed for the battlefield.

* * *

Billy dodged another shot from the Crystal Carrier, and wondered just how long he could keep it up. The monster had thrown several good hits at the Red BattleZord, which Tommy had switched to once the Zeo MegaZord was down. The others were handling things as best they could in the Super Zeo MegaZord, but it didn't look good at all. 

The Crystal Carrier leapt in front of him suddenly, and before he realized what was going on, Billy and the Cave Wolf Zord were pinned down. He saw the Crystal Carrier charging up the Crystal Ray, and heard Mondo laughing. "A crystal wolf statue for the Silver Ranger, whenever she has the courage to return!" 

"Actually, crystal breaks too easily for me, sapphire is so much stronger," a voice none of them had heard in six weeks came over the communications systems. A moment later, a Zord they hadn't seen in action for two months pounced on the Crystal Carrier, knocking it down. "Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" 

"SHEENA!" Tommy cried out in joy. "You're back!" 

"Hi, everyone!" Sheena laughed in sheer delight to be back where she belonged. "Billy, dear, you wouldn't be trying to hog all the fun, would you?" 

"Well, I really had nothing better to do today, since you weren't around. It's been boring without you, you know." 

"Well, if you're having so much fun, I'll just go back to the Power Chamber and unpack my things," Sheena teased. 

Billy laughed. "Oh no, you can join in if you like. Tommy, think we should show the others our little surprise now?" 

Tommy nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. You're not the only one who's learned a few new tricks over the past two months, Sheena. Hang on and enjoy the ride! As my last command as leader of the Power Rangers, I say, Ultra BattleZord, power up!" 

Sheena was startled, both at the command she'd never heard before, and how her Cheetah Zord responded to it. When she saw the Red BattleZord and the Cave Wolf also changing configurations, she realized what Billy had done. She caught a glimpse of Mondo's face, and the expression of sheer surprise had to have been twice that of her own. 

Moments later, she was in the cockpit of the new combined Zord, with Tommy and Billy right next to her. She gave Billy a startled hug, and Tommy waved a hello to her. "Just think, Sheena, this is something you'll get to call for from now on. Pretty neat, huh?" 

"When did this happen?" 

"Tommy and I started working on it the day after you left for Eltar. I wanted it to be a surprise. Welcome home, beautiful! Now let's go take this monster out so we can give you a proper homecoming!" 

The Silver Ranger turned her attention back to the fight at hand, Madas' lessons coming to the fore now. "I can't wait. Let's do it!" 

Tommy chuckled. "Thought I was going to have to give you two some privacy there for a second." 

"We'll need that later," Sheena quipped. "Right now, it's time to send this thing to the recycling bin!" 

The Ultra BattleZord forged towards the Crystal Carrier, which was just now getting back on its feet. They didn't give it any time to collect itself, a sword appeared in the Ultra BattleZord's hand that was the mirror image of Sheena's own Silver Sword. With one swipe, the Crystal Carrier was nothing more than crystal dust. As it faded away, Mondo shook his metallic fist at them as they leapt out of their Zords to confront him face to metallic face. 

"You destroyed my monster, how dare you!" he screamed at them all. "I'll beat you yet, Rangers, you can count on it!" 

Sheena laughed. "You've said that before, Mondo. We will always be here to stop you, why don't you just give up?" 

"Oh really, Sheena? Why should I when you are all about to fly apart at the seams? You've got a wimp for a leader, you Rangers don't stand a chance!" 

Tommy stepped forward to stand beside Sheena. "Our leader isn't a wimp, and you'll find that out soon enough. In fact, if you want to hang around and be dismantled, our leader will most likely be happy to oblige." 

Tanya nodded. "Yeah Mondo, why don't you fight your own battle for once? Or are you afraid of our "wimp" leader?" 

Sheena quietly gazed at the Machine King, and the confidence in that cool regard would have unnerved him, if he had any nerves. "What'll it be, Mondo?" 

Mondo stared at them, at how they'd grouped themselves behind Sheena, not hiding, but supporting her. The way they always had done it for Tommy before... The calmness in her gaze, even behind her helmet... he'd heard that Tommy had asked Sheena to lead before she left for Eltar. No... it couldn't be... 

He hissed, "We'll meet again, Rangers, remember that!" He and Klank teleported back to the Skybase at once. 

Billy laughed, turned to Sheena and caught her in the largest, warmest hug imaginable, then one and all, they returned to the Power Chamber.

* * *

"No! Not after all my planning, she can't be their leader!" Mondo threw a few scattered pieces of Cogs around the throne room. "How is this possible? She's not even been with them a year yet!" 

Klank tried to explain things to his king. "Well sire, they seem to think that she has proven her worth as a Ranger and a leader..." 

Mondo turned on him fiercely. "When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!" 

Klank backed down. "Yes, sire." 

"I can't believe it, the Silver Ranger is leading the Power Rangers, just like fifteen thousand years ago. This can't be happening, Vile never could get anything right!" Mondo looked back at his majordomo. "Is Shifter back yet, Klank?" 

"Yes sire, he's just returned from Eltar as well." 

"Send him out immediately to track down any of Elysia's family that may have survived. I refuse to believe that Vile got rid of them all. He couldn't even get rid of _one_ Ranger back then, I doubt if he had the intelligence to wipe out a whole family!" 

As Klank got to work, Mondo stared at the Earth, where his ex-slave now led his worst enemies. "Mark my words Sheena, if Elysia's power is out there, I'll find it. And when I do, it will be the beginning of the end of your days as a Power Ranger. For all of the Rangers!"

* * *

The Juice Bar was full of congratulations and good wishes that night, as well as plans being made and welcome homes being said. Mr. and Mrs. Cranston were glad to finally welcome Sheena as their son's fianée, and she spun a convincing enough story about her "sick friend" for them not to question why she'd called so seldom over the past two months. As the welcome home party began to wind down, Sheena found herself talking with Tommy and David. 

"You know, I found out a lot about Kahva while I was on Eltar," she told her cousins. _Funny, _she thought to herself, _I don't think of them as 'distant cousins'... they're just my cousins. They're my family. _ "And about our family." 

"Like what?" David wondered. 

"Well, they've got the Kilanye family records kept accurately up until about two hundred years ago," she told them. "From what I found out, that's when the family moved here to Earth. After that, they went underground more or less, I think to escape Vile. It seems he's made a practice of hunting down Kahva's descendants. The two branches of the family were fairly close for a while, then about three generations or so ago," she paused for a moment. "and this is pure speculation, based on a few memories I was able to get from Kahva, the ones I have from after her death aren't very clear," she explained. "my side of the family vanished entirely. No one heard anything from it until I came back here. Vile apparently only found me by blind luck." 

"Well, that's all history now," Tommy sighed. "Sheena, I can't tell you how grateful I am you accepted my offer to lead the Rangers." Luckily, they were all a fairly secluded area of the Juice Bar for this conversation. "I don't know how much longer I could've kept going without flying apart entirely." 

"I understand," Sheena nodded. "And I'm more ready to lead now than I was two months ago. Master Madas taught me more than just _ki-see_ while I was with him. I think you're right, this is what is best for the whole team." 

Tommy smiled, and was about to thank her again when Billy came over. "Sheena, my parents want you to come over and start planning things. Well, my mom wants you to at least, she's been going nuts the past two weeks trying to get me to get you back here sooner. Something about getting your gown made or something." 

Sheena chuckled. "It's been made already. I've had it ready for six months now." 

"Elysia's?" Billy guessed. Sheena nodded. "Zordon already said I could use it for our second wedding, and I'm glad." She stood up and started over to where the Cranstons awaited her, then paused. 

"Billy, I don't know if I've said this yet, tonight's been a big blur in a lot of ways." She wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug, then kissed him long and deeply. "But I love you. We'll be together forever." 

"Forever together," he smiled. "Always." 

"And eternity," she whispered. For a second, someone else she'd said that to, years earlier, in another world, passed through her thoughts, and tears shone in her eyes suddenly. 

"Sheena?" Billy caught her mood, as he always did. 

"Nothing, Billy. Just an old memory," she smiled, her fingers brushing absently past her rings. "A good memory." 

They went to join his parents.

* * *

_A few months later... elsewhere..._

The sun had just set, and the moon was rising over the eastern horizon as the shadowed figure sat on top of the cliff. Silence reigned over the mountains for a time, as the darkness gathered and the moon rose higher into the sky. 

"You always liked this place, Sheena," were the first words spoken. "We came here so many times together, to watch the stars. I know you're not dead, I can feel it in my heart. I'd know if you were." 

No more was said for a time, then the speaker slowly went back down the cliff to the car that waited for them below. During the drive back, they paused once more, this time to watch the moonlight as it peeked through the clouds in a glittering pale curtain of light. "Somehow, someway, we'll be together again. We promised that, remember? Wherever you are, do you remember that? Together forever, forever together, always and eternity, that's what we swore. And we'll keep that oath: no matter what it takes. You're out there somewhere, and I know it. I don't know how... but I do." 

Once more the car headed back towards the city that lay in sparkling splendor beneath them. "Someday, we'll be together again." 

**To Be Continued**


	6. Visions of Silver

**Visions of Silver  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

Prologue

_He moved with the ease of a jungle cat, his motions flowing with practiced grace in this otherwise serene garden, filled only with the fragrance of spring flowers, a few benches along the edge of the clearing he was in, and his grunts of effort. He sparred with his imaginary opponent, anticipating his next move, a swift kick, perhaps. No, it was a lunge, an effort to slip through his defenses for a close strike. The young warrior countered with a block, then an effortless throw, using his adversary's momentum against him._

"Victorious again, dear?" The warrior allowed himself a small smile as he bowed in respect to his non-existent foe, it had been a good practice. He turned to his beloved, the only one he ever allowed to interrupt his katas. Besides his brother, anyway.

"As always Elysia. He never stood a chance." She offered him a special gourd filled with sweet water from the Mystic Springs, he accepted humbly and gratefully. The Mystic Springs were aptly named, no one had ever figured out why the water there was so clear, so pure, so sweet. But it was known for refreshing a person quickly, and that was why its waters were so cherished, and precisely why she had brought him the precious liquid. His energy renewed even more, he placed the gourd on a garden bench and hugged her tightly. "What's wrong?" She had always been quiet, peaceful. But lately she had been too quiet. "Elysia?"

She turned from him, gazing upon the distant mountain range. The morning fog was not as yet burned off of the lowlands, nor the mountain peaks. The gray tendrils draped around them, harmless enough, she supposed, but today she couldn't help but feel even they were not so benign as they seemed. He wrapped his arms around her, enveloped her with his very being, and they touched, heart and soul, as only they could. Her gifts made their union a very special one indeed. And a dangerous one in these times. "Rita will make her move soon. I've warned your brother to be careful on his quest. She will try to stop him."

"Do you know when?" She shook her head. She was holding something back, he felt it. But she would not tell him, so he would have to be patient.

"No, not precisely. But soon. She's wanting to prove she's as powerful as she has boasted. Her father is the one she wants to please. And Rita will do anything to prove she is the one who should be her father's right hand."

"Vile's upstart little teenager could be a problem, but we can deal with her Elysia. You worry too much about a sorceress who is still wet behind the ears. As long as Vile doesn't come here to help her, everything with be fine." He hugged his love and rested his hand gently on her stomach. "And our little one will be fine too, she will be as beautiful as her mother."

Elysia allowed herself a smile at that prediction. "Even I don't know if we will have a boy or a girl, dear. I haven't been shown that."

"Yet." He rested his face into her hair, shoulder-length, glowing dark auburn in the morning light and smelling of jasmine. "I may not have future vision, but I have a feeling on this. Our first child will be a daughter. We just need to pick a name."

"Kahva."

"Kahva? That's not a name in either of our families, where did you get that one from?"

"I've seen her. I've seen - I don't know what I've seen, whether it is our daughter, or another person altogether. But the young woman I've seen is strong in heart and mind, she is destined to fight evil. You will be her teacher. That I know." Again she was holding back. Why, he wondered. He turned her back to face him and tenderly lifted her face to his, softly caressing her mouth with a loving kiss. He pulled her to him even closer and held her securely, as if that alone would protect her from whatever tormented her mind and soul. Whatever it was that she felt she couldn't tell him.

"We will name our daughter Kahva, then. Her heart and soul will be as true and kind as yours. And we," he looked down into his wife's face, his steely blue-gray eyes locked with her warm rich brown ones, "We; you, my brother Ninjor and myself, will rid our world of Vile's daughter. We will free everyone from Rita Repulsa's childish antics."

"Yes, you will." She closed her eyes and let him just hold her. It was all she needed.

He looked at the mountains where Ninjor was roaming somewhere, looking for the right place to build his temple, where he could train others to fight against evil, and hopefully find something that would help them if Vile did come after his errant child. The warrior-wizard cleared his mind of doubts, it was his duty, his destiny to fight evil with physical skill and magic. Ninjor was master of all known fighting skills, and Elysia had the gift of future vision, the ability to warn of danger not yet known. They would be all right. Elysia and his child would live in a peaceful world. Of all these things, he was determined to ensure they would come to pass. It was his duty. His privilege and honor to fight for truth and light.

He was young, a warrior-wizard skilled far beyond his twenty-five years.

He was Zordon of Eltar. And he would not let evil win.  


PRESENT DAY - EARTH  
EARLY MARCH 1997

Sheena rushed into Ernie's Juice Bar, out of breath. Adam could barely see her for all of the bags she was carrying, and she was close to dropping every single one of them. "Sheena, hang on," he called. In a second he was at her side, taking more than half of the load she had brought in and setting the overflowing bags by their usual table. Tanya and Kat were working on some new moves down on the practice mat under Tommy's supervision, and Rocky was already seated at the table, his attention focused on his history book. Focused, until a dark blue cummerbund landed on the page he had been struggling to make sense of.

"What the - Sheena? Not now, please!"

"Yes, now, Rocko. Just stand up and hold it around you, I have to make sure it fits!" Rocky groaned, if there was anything he hated more than a history test, it was trying on clothes, even if it was just a cummerbund. He stood and held it in place barely long enough for Sheena to be satisfied it would do, then he dejectedly sat back down. "Don't know why you have to get so dressed up for a wedding anyway, you only wear the stuff once and that's it! Not very practical."

"You get so dressed up' because you only do it once. Well, ideally anyway," Sheena replied. "And I wouldn't have had to interrupt you if you had just gone to the store and finished your fitting!"

"I hate those monkey suits! I mean, -" Rocky caught the glare and the swift kick under the table from Adam, and chose his next words carefully, "yeah, the tuxes look great, but they are so uncomfortable!" He shot a glare of his own at Adam as he rubbed his shin.

"And you think the women have it easy? I'd like to see you walking down the aisle in a wedding gown or a bridesmaid's dress, Roc." Kat, Tanya and Tommy were walking to the group, the practice over. Kat took a chair beside Rocky and ruffled his hair. "You're just scared that someone is going to see you looking like the handsome young man you are." She turned and pointed to a petite blonde leading an aerobics class. "Like, oh, maybe Stephanie over there? Isn't she in some of your classes?"

"Give me a break guys!" Rocky vainly tried to gain a little dignity back. "Look, Sheena, it's nothing personal, I just don't feel comfortable in a tux." They all laughed as Ernie came over with a platter of drinks. Rocky was grateful for the temporary shift in attention.

"Here you go guys. Sheena, did you buy out every store in Angel Grove?" Ernie tucked the platter under his arm as the last drink was taken. "Looks like you could start your own mall."

"It feels like it. I don't know what I would do without Mrs. Cranston to keep everything straight, the woman was born to organize weddings, I swear! Ernie, thanks again for letting us have it here, I know it was short notice." Sheena stopped to sip her drink and pull out a long checklist.

"Hey, no problem, I'm glad I could do it. Just to make sure here, the wedding is at three in the afternoon, right? I want to make sure that everything is set up in time." Sheena nodded, beaming.

"Three o'clock, Saturday afternoon, you got it Ernie. Thanks again, you're a sweetheart." Sheena gave Ernie a hug. The teens could've sworn that he actually blushed from the attention. "Mrs. Cranston will be getting up with you today to finalize everything." Ernie nodded and headed back behind the counter, Bulk and Skull had just walked in and were debating over who was supposed to buy the drinks this time and seemed to be trying Emily's patience. Tanya had settled down between Adam and Sheena and peeked into some of Sheena's packages.

"Ernie was wrong, you could open up two malls with all this stuff! Think you finally have everything?"

"I hope so." Sheena lowered her voice so as not to be overheard by anyone walking by. "Mondo's attack on the church really threw things for a loop. I can't believe the church just happened' to be in the path of his last monster's rampage." She glanced over the checklist, then nodded to herself. "He has been really nasty lately."

"Leave it to Mondo to try and ruin a wedding." Tommy looked around, Billy and Jason were supposed to be meeting them there, but they hadn't arrived yet. "That overgrown tin can can't stand to see anyone happy. At least no one was at the church when the attack happened. We were lucky."

Tanya shook her head. "Luck had nothing to do with it. I'm willing to bet that Mondo knew the bridal shower was that day, and trashed the place beforehand deliberately." She hugged Sheena. "All those gifts that were there already, completely wrecked. Mondo has done some mean things before, but that was just spiteful. Beyond spiteful. I wish we could've saved more." Sheena smiled at her friends.

"I'm just glad no one was there in the line of fire. Things can be replaced, people can't. Friends can't be replaced." An awkward pause filled the air. Tommy broke it finally.

"Speaking of friends and placing people," he stopped, as suddenly he found he couldn't ask the question gently, no matter how hard he tried.

"Go ahead Tommy. I think everyone has been wondering, anyway." Sheena smiled at Tommy reassuringly as Kat slipped her hand in his.

"There's no easy way to ask this, so I'll just blunder straight ahead. The only people you're really close to here, well, we're it. I mean really close, you know? And Kat and Tanya and Kim are going to be bridesmaids, Kim's flying in from Florida," Tommy paused again, he wasn't good at this. He took a breath and rushed through the rest. "You know us because we are all Rangers. You know Kim because we introduced you two when she came back to visit, and once a Ranger, always a Ranger, you know. But everyone else is just a casual friend, you don't have any family..."

"My family is you guys now, Tommy. And the Cranstons. And I couldn't ask for better friends or family. But no, I haven't picked a maid of honor yet. I just haven't been able to do it, it's too hard to choose." Sheena pulled out the small photo album she had taken to carrying with her everywhere in her purse. She flipped to the older pictures, the ones of her life in her home world. "Though my family was gone back there, I still had my friends." She touched the faces of her friends in the same picture she had been looking at on the fateful day when the Cogs had kidnapped her. When she had claimed her heritage. She didn't notice Bulk and Skull stumbling over to the table. "I -" Bulk tripped over Sheena's packages and knocked the album out of her hands.

"Whoops! Sorry Sheena! Skull, can't you watch where I'm going?"

"Sorry Bulky."

Bulk drew himself back up and tried to look business-like. "We'd just like to let you know that we have decided to guard the Juice Bar against monster attacks, so you and Billy don't have anything to worry about, dear lady." Rocky couldn't help but smile, Bulk and Skull had been tripping over themselves from the first day they had seen Sheena, he was certain that they had a crush on her. "We'll let you get back to planning, we're going to start guarding."

"The wedding isn't until the end of the week guys, I think everything is going to be okay."

"Good detectives are always on the alert, Rocky." With that, Bulk and Skull saluted smartly and spun around, nearly running over Jason as he joined the group. Jason's foot hit the photo album, and the picture of Sheena's friends slipped out. He picked them up and handed the album back to Sheena as he sat down, but stopped as he noticed the writing on the back of the picture.

"Hey guys, Billy is still at the Power Chamber, he'll be here as soon as he can." He hesitated a moment before continuing, staring at the handwriting on the back of the photo. "Umm, Sheena, what's this, if you don't mind my asking? It looks like a poem." Sheena took the picture and looked at the handwriting on the back. For a moment, Jason thought he'd asked something wrong. "It's OK, you don't have to answer that, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, Jason, it's all right." Sheena paused, then continued. "You're right, it is a poem." She seemed to be trying not to let her voice crack as she read it aloud:

_Miles away, or standing here,  
the heart will always keep us near  
Heaven or Fate, who can say,  
just what brought us together that day  
Blood cannot bring us any closer  
It is our hearts and souls, we find,  
That keep us forever in each other's mind  
Time will flow as the tides,  
but it is love that will cross the divide  
Blood could not closer sisters make,  
and time nor distance, can that bond ever break  
_

"Sisters of the soul forever, K. B.," Jason finished for her quietly. "She's not in this photo, is she?" he asked gently. Sheena shook her head, then pulled out a picture the Rangers had never seen before from the back of the album. It was of Sheena and another girl, perhaps two inches shorter and slightly heavier than Sheena, olive-complexioned with eyes that seemed almost black as opposed to Sheena's sparkling green. But otherwise, the two looked very similar to each other, as if they were related by blood.

"She was adopted, like I was. We were instantly drawn to each other, it was like there was a bond already there, before we met. We were like sisters. She's the one who took the picture of my friends and me at the park that day. She never liked having her picture taken, but we finally talked her into it that day, Josh took this one. It's the only one I have of her."

Jason started to ask who she was, but the beep of their communicators interrupted them. Everyone quickly grabbed books, bags and packages and slipped out into the hallway for privacy. "Jason, here."

Billy's voice came over the communicator. "Guys, you'd better come to the Power Chamber. There's something weird going on at the Machine Skybase." The Rangers looked around, they were still alone. A second later, they had all disappeared in their respective teleportation colors, ready to face whatever Mondo had planned this time.

* * *

Billy was bent intently over the computer consoles, checking readouts with a concerned frown crossing his face as the Rangers teleported in. "I can't figure out what he could be up to, Zordon." Billy turned as Sheena slipped up beside him, and gave her a quick kiss. "Hello, beautiful. Hope my mom hasn't been running you too ragged."

"Your mom is a doll, don't worry. What's going on?" Zordon seemed as puzzled as Billy as he answered.

WE ARE NOT YET CERTAIN, RANGERS. ALPHA DETECTED SOME UNUSUAL ENERGY READINGS FROM THE MACHINE SKYBASE THIS MORNING. BUT NONE OF THESE ENERGY READINGS MATCH ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN FROM MONDO BEFORE.

"Well, what is this energy doing, or where is it going?" Tommy asked. Billy picked up a printout and read off the results.

"It seems the energy readings indicate a scan of some sort, through several dimensions. But as for what Mondo may be looking for, we can't tell. Jason and I were in the repair bay when the energy readings were first detected. Alpha, tell them what you found out."

The little robot shuffled over to the Rangers, as nervous as ever. "After I called Billy back to the Power Chamber, I ran a sensor sweep of the moon to be safe. Mondo's Cogs were crawling all over Zedd and Rita's old palace. But before I could determine what they were doing, they teleported back to the Skybase!" Alpha went over to another set of consoles to continue his analysis, muttering worriedly to himself.

"So that's what that was all about. I was wondering what was up when you told me to go ahead to the Juice Bar without you. Can you make a guess at all, Billy? If Mondo's planning another attack -" Sheena interrupted Jason, a frightening thought had just hit her.

"No, he's not planning an attack. Not yet, anyway, I don't think. Zordon, it seems to me that Mondo is looking for something very specific. Could he be looking for a new monster, or a new power source?"

"Or a new weapon, maybe?" Tommy interjected. "I think Sheena may be on to something here, Zordon." Their mentor was silent for what seemed like an eternity before he finally answered.

IT IS POSSIBLE, RANGERS. OR HE MAY BE TRYING TO SEE IF OTHER WORLDS ARE VULNERABLE TO AN ATTACK AT THIS TIME. HE HAS BEEN THREATENING AQUITAR AND TRIFORIA LATELY. THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT HE HAS SENT SOME OF HIS COGS TO EDENOI AS WELL, TO HELP COUNT DREGON. AT THIS POINT, UNTIL WE CAN DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF SCAN MONDO IS PERFORMING, I AM AFRAID THAT ANYTHING COULD BE POSSIBLE. ALPHA WILL CONTINUE CHECKING THE ENERGY READINGS AND WILL CONTACT YOU IF ANYTHING CHANGES. IN THE MEANTIME, BE ON YOUR GUARD, RANGERS, ESPECIALLY YOU, SHEENA. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MONDO HAS GIVEN UP ON THE IDEA OF HAVING YOU AS HIS ULTIMATE WARRIOR.

"He could be after Billy too. After all, he hasn't been happy ever since he found out that Billy has the Sapphire Power. If he can't have Sheena, he may go after Billy to get back at her. With or without powers, Billy's knowledge of the Zords and the Power Chamber make him a tempting target," Adam added.

"Guys, we could second guess this to death. The fact is, until we know more about what is going on, any of us could be targets. Or all of us. We all have to stay extra alert." Billy put his arm around Sheena's waist and pulled her close. "I'll stay here and help Alpha with the scans."

NO, BILLY, YOU'VE BEEN WORKING FOR TOO LONG WITHOUT ANY REST OR RELAXATION. ALPHA CAN CONTINUE ON HIS OWN FOR NOW. UNTIL WE NOTIFY YOU RANGERS, ALL OF YOU NEED TO BE ON THE ALERT, BUT YOU MUST TRY TO RELAX. IF YOU LET YOURSELVES WORRY TOO MUCH, THE TENSION WILL DRAIN YOU, AND YOU WILL NOT BE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FOR A POSSIBLE BATTLE. HOPEFULLY WE WILL KNOW SOMETHING MORE DEFINITE SOON. Zordon disappeared in his time warp, concentrating his mental energies on the search. The Rangers all looked at each other, not knowing just how they were supposed to relax after that bit of news. But they all left one by one, Rocky to study, Tanya, Adam, Jason, Tommy and Kat to work out some more at the gym, leaving Sheena and Billy in the Power Chamber. Billy had gone over to look at Sheena's packages and started to chuckle.

"Looks like you've been busy. Anything I can help with?"

Sheena grabbed some of the bags and started for her quarters in the Power Chamber. "If you can help me get these things to my room, that would be a big help. I have to sort through everything, and then take most of it to the house and meet your mother."

"And I've been warned by her to stay away for now, that this is a time for the girls' to get to be together, so I'll let you have all the fun with my mom." Sheena laughed at the look on Billy's face. Billy had no idea what she and his mom were doing to the cabin that his uncle was giving them as a wedding present, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Tell you what, when you get through at the house, meet me in the park for a picnic. We haven't had much time to ourselves lately." Sheena kissed him, and disappeared into her room.

"It's a date!"

* * *

_The little girl sat with her grandmother at the Mystic Springs, watching as she meticulously tended the flowers that grew at the Springs' edge. "Grandmother Rina? Why do we have to care for the Mystic Springs?" Rina smiled at the dark-haired child, she would one day tend the Springs herself._

"It started when I was young, only eighteen. My cousin Melantha and I found the Springs by accident. I called them mystic' because we could both feel the magic here, and that the magic was unaligned. Our grandmother, Veda, told us that this was a rare find indeed, and that the Springs would have to be aligned with either the side of good or evil, that it could not survive for long in its neutral state. We were instructed to align it at precisely midnight, at the next new moons. The Springs were aligned with the side of good that night, and our family has tended the Mystic Springs ever since." Rina looked at her ten-year-old granddaughter, Elysia wasn't completely satisfied with her answer.

"How come nobody talks about Melantha?" Rina sighed, she supposed it was time to tell Elysia the rest of the story.

"Melantha was my age, and her side of the family has never been as strong as ours with the gifts. She's the only one who has ever been resentful of that, however. I didn't know it then, but she was jealous of me. Everyone calling the Springs Mystic Springs', after the way I had described them, didn't help either. She was dating a young man back then, he was studying to be a wizard, but he had begun to learn some of the dark arts. Neither one of our families had anything to do with him, we didn't like the path he was taking, but Melantha was attracted to him. They were both power hungry, both wanted to be more than what they were, and were willing to turn to darkness to do it. Against the wishes of our families, she continued to see him in secret. He was called Zared back then. A vision warned me that someone would try to keep me from going to the Springs on the night of alignment, that there would be a potion in my water. I did not drink, and arrived there at the same time Melantha and Zared did. Melantha was furious that I was not asleep, it had been she who had put the potion in my water, Zared had made it for her." Rina paused, she didn't like to remember that night, but Elysia needed to know. "She attacked me, and I fell down. My head struck a rock, and I was bleeding as I fell into the water. My blood mixed with the Springs, and a few seconds later, at precisely midnight, the alignment was made. Normally, we would have just said the intonement, and that would've aligned the Springs, but when I fell into the water, a stronger alignment was made. Not only were the Springs forever aligned with the side of good, our family was aligned forever with the Springs. Any source of magic, once aligned, can never be turned to the other side, only destroyed. The Mystic Springs are now forever aligned with good, and because my blood is in the Springs, and the Springs' magic is in my blood, our gifts are also forever aligned with the side of good. Our gifts can never be turned to evil. We are a part of the Mystic Springs, and they are a part of us, now and forever. That is why we tend the Mystic Springs. Melantha left Eltar to go to another world with Zared after that, a world where he could learn his dark arts. They have never returned. The loss of Melantha is very painful for our family, that is why she is not talked about much. We miss her terribly, but we know that she chose a dark path, and never wanted to leave it. She died many years ago, poisoned by her own jealousy. The dark path is very inviting, Elysia, but you will never find happiness there. Remember this also, Elysia. Zared has vowed to return to Eltar one day, to spread his teachings here. Our family must not allow him to harm the Mystic Springs. No one here remembers the dark apprentice anymore. He has used many names since he left here, but seems to have settled on one name for himself now. I have recently learned of what he is currently calling himself. Remember his name, Elysia. He is now known as Vile." Little Elysia considered her grandmother's words very seriously, then the ten-year-old looked up at her grandmother solemnly.

"I will protect the Mystic Springs, and the side of good, with my life."

* * *

Elysia removed her old diary rod from the viewing box and carefully stored it away. She hadn't looked at the records she made as a child in a long time, she wasn't sure what was compelling her to do so now. She chose another rod and placed it in the box. The pale blue rod started to glow, and another scene from her childhood played out...

* * *

Elysia was happy, she played around the Mystic Springs as her Grandmother Rina tended the gourds that had recently started to grow around them. Elysia was eleven years old on this day, and a party with all of her friends would be held later that afternoon. She also knew that on this day her Grandmother Rina, like her Grandmother Veda before her, would be able to enter a trance and tell her which of the gifts she was destined to have. Elysia hoped it was the gift of growing, of making things grow where nothing had before. There were places on Eltar that were barren, and that gift would enable her to one day bring life to those wastelands. She loved plants and was determined that when she was older she would have a beautiful garden of her own, filled with jonquils, lilies, roses and fruit-bearing plants... it would be a place of peace and beauty, just like the meadow around the Mystic Springs. A falcon screeched up high in the air, circling over its territory, surveying the land. A bolt of energy suddenly pierced the sky and brought the falcon plummeting to the ground. "Grandmother!"

Rina had heard the cry of the falcon as it fell, had felt its pain. "Come Elysia, we have to find the falcon." She took her granddaughter's hand and they ran towards where they thought the falcon had fallen. A couple of minutes later they reached a small clearing and found two young boys, about Elysia's age, protecting the injured falcon from an older man who looked to be about fifty years old. Rina took in a sharp breath, then mentally sent for her kinsmen, they would need their help. One boy was now holding the falcon carefully, the other was struggling with the man for control of a staff. The staff was glowing with dark energy, and the man was losing patience with the boy.

"Impudent young pup! Unhand my staff!" he ordered. The boy refused to let go as the staff glowed brighter. The boy shouted for the other boy, his brother, to run away with the falcon. "That falcon is mine, stupid brat! Do you still dare to defy me, after seeing what I can do? I shot that falcon out of the sky with but a toss of my hand, I'll do much worse to you!" He finally wrenched the staff free from the child's grasp and then struck his head, sending the lad to the ground. He was dazed, a small trickle of blood seeped from the wound. The one holding the falcon went to his fallen sibling, to stay between him and the man. The dark energy dripping from the staff was starting to poison the cut.

"Are you so weak that you can only threaten children, Zared?" Rina challenged. Quietly she whispered to Elysia, "Go back to the Mystic Springs with your canteen and get water, we'll need to clean the boy's cut until we can take him there for the Springs' healing powers to do their work. Go child, your father and some of our kinsmen will be here soon, I've already sent for them." As Elysia ran back to the Mystic Springs, she could hear the man yelling at her grandmother.

"I am called Vile now, Rina, you had best not forget that!"

"I call you coward, for you are so afraid to die, you have used your dark arts to keep you young. I call you coward for threatening children. And I call you cursed, for even now my kinsmen are coming, and you cannot hope to stand against us all."

Elysia didn't dare look back as she heard him reply, "I can stand against you old woman! You think me a coward for staying young? Let's see what you think after I've beaten you down with my power!" Elysia heard the crackle of dark magic, then nothing else as she got closer to the Mystic Springs. She reached to her waist for her canteen, but it wasn't there anymore, it had fallen off while she had been running. Elysia looked frantically for anything that could hold water, then her gaze rested on one of the gourd plants. A gourd had fallen off of one of the vines, she picked it up. It could hold twice the water her canteen could if hollowed out. She grabbed her grandmother's gardening trowel to cut off the top of the gourd, it cut through it easily, and when she turned the gourd, most of the flesh spilled out, there was hardly anything she needed to remove. It was as if the gourd was meant for just the purpose she had in mind. She dipped the gourd in the water and filled it, then used the top she had cut off to close it. Elysia ran as fast as she could back to the clearing, she had been gone for nearly five minutes. Vile was firing blasts of dark energy at her grandmother, the boys were behind her, the injured one's cut now turning black as the cut was slowly poisoned by the trace of dark magic that had dripped on it. The other boy was still cradling the injured falcon and trying to shield his brother at the same time. Vile fired another blast at Rina, she deflected it as she had the others, and he was getting angrier.

"You can't stand against me forever, Rina! I will wear you down, and you won't be able to protect yourself, much less these children!" Elysia knelt at the injured boy's side and placed the gourd beside him. She glared at Vile, the one who had tried to get the power of the Mystic Springs for himself, the one who had encouraged Melantha's jealousy and lust for power. Elysia suddenly saw images around the dark wizard, images that scared her, but she was a protector of good, just like her grandmother. Little Elysia stood in front of her grandmother, and stared at Vile.

"You will be beaten, Vile. These boys will banish you from this world forever. Not even your daughter to be, Rita, will be able to stand against them. This will happen." Vile seemed shaken for a moment, then laughed even as Rina and Elysia's kinsmen ran into the clearing.

"So, the gift of future vision is with you early, child. Very well, I cannot stand against all of you at once, but I will return one day, and I don't think these boys can stop me, child." Elysia was kneeling by the fallen boy again and had started to clean the cut on his forehead.

"My name is Elysia, and I will not allow you or your kin to harm anyone, or anything. Leave, Vile." Vile laughed, but he did move away as he watched her clean the wound.

"You are spirited, child, and loyal to the side of good. It will be the end of you." With that, Vile disappeared in a flash of acrid black smoke. Rina and her kinsmen were staring at Elysia in amazement, and at first she didn't understand why. She had only done what she had vowed, to defend the side of good. Then as the boy she had been treating stirred, she saw what they were looking at. As she had wiped the cut with the water from the Mystic Springs, it had healed, and the trickle of dark magic had been washed away. She held the gourd for him and helped him drink some of the water. Moments later, he was recovered. Rina knelt by Elysia.

"Try the water on the falcon." Elysia took the injured bird from the other boy and washed its chest, then tipped the gourd so it could drink as well. Soon the bird was healed as well, the falcon flapped its wings and soared into the air, circling high over the meadow, diving back once to land by Elysia and place its head against her in thanks, then it flew off again, calling for its mate. They joined in the air seconds later, circled the clearing once more, then flew home. Everyone stood and watched the birds fly away, then looked at Elysia in wonder. Her father picked her up and hugged her, swinging her around in a circle.

"How did you do that? Could it be you have the gift of healing as well? And at such a young age!" Rina laughed as her son put his daughter down.

"No, Alaric, she is not a healer, but the water from the Mystic Springs do help the sick and injured. Elysia has found a way to transport the waters without their losing those properties, by using the gourd." Rina hugged Elysia, then all of her uncles hugged the girl too. Even Elysia's little brother Seth, who had come along with their father, hugged her. Then the two boys she and Rina had saved stood before them and thanked them. By the black belts they wore over their tunics, they were wizard apprentices, and quite accomplished for their years, as noted by the silver star each had on their belt. Rina recognized them then from the village, they were both older than Elysia. The one who had held the falcon was fourteen years, and the one who had so bravely fought against Vile was all of thirteen. The younger one bowed deeply before Elysia.

"Brave and noble lady, you have saved my life this day, I owe it to you forever." He turned to Alaric very seriously and asked, "Has anyone spoken for your daughter, noble sir?" Alaric laughed and told him no. "Then might I have that honor sir? I can feel it already, she and I are fated to be together." Alaric laughed again, then as somberly as he could, he told the boy he would consider it. He then invited both boys to Elysia's birthday party that afternoon, and after they had accepted, he and the other men left, taking Seth with them. The younger boy turned again to Elysia and kissed her cheek. "I shall see you this afternoon then, my lady. My brother here is Ninjor, and I am Zordon, and we have indeed been honored by your presence this day." The two boys left, leaving Elysia alone with her grandmother. Rina couldn't take the smile from her face, Elysia looked as if she had eaten a bitter pommlet. Rina took Elysia's hand and they made their way back to the Mystic Springs to finish the gardening Rina had started.

"You seem to have an admirer, Elysia." Elysia continued to wrinkle her face in disgust at having been kissed on the cheek by a boy. Rina laughed as they reached the Mystic Springs and Elysia promptly tried to wash the feeling of the kiss off of her face.

"Boys! Yuck! Why did he have to do that? A simple thank you' would have been enough." Elysia started to retrieve her grandmother's trowel when Rina stopped her.

"Elysia, I'm going to tell you something. Tonight, when I enter the trance to confirm which gift you will have, there will be some who will be afraid at what I will reveal, most will be very happy though. Vile will be one of the ones who will be afraid, I think he may have sensed something in you today. I entered the trance last night, because I myself have had disturbing visions of late. Unless the trance tonight shows anything differently, you will have all the gifts with you as you get older. You are a very special child, Elysia. I do not know if you will be able to use all of the gifts, but they will be there in you, in your blood, you will not just be a carrier of the gifts like everyone in our family is. The gift of future vision is already upon you, that is a sign that you are exceptionally blessed. Use your gifts carefully child, and wisely. You are sworn to the side of truth, light and good, which will make your life a dangerous one, more so because of your gifts. Your gifts will guide you, and your kin, trust in them." Rina sighed, she wasn't sure if Elysia was old enough to understand what may be asked of her as she grew. "Remember, your gifts can never be used for evil, if anyone tries to turn you to the dark path, your gifts will not work, you are protected by the blood-bond we share with the Mystic Springs, and all your children, and their children, and their children will have that same protection. You have been singularly honored, are you ready to accept the responsibility?" Elysia looked up solemnly at her grandmother and repeated her vow made little more than a year earlier. She had seen several things when she had looked at Vile, and understood more than Rina realized.

"I will protect the Mystic Springs, and the side of good, with my life. This will happen."

* * *

Elysia put away the diary rod, if she had seen on that day that Zordon would indeed become her true lifemate and soulmate, she still wouldn't have believed it. Now, she couldn't imagine life without him. "No," she corrected herself, "I have seen life without him, and it is hell for all beings, everywhere. That is why I must do what I will do." Tears threatened to form as she pulled out a clear diary rod and prepared to record on it, this would be a message for Zordon only. She had already sent a message to her brother Seth to keep the rods safe, and give them to Zordon when he returned. She hadn't been able to bring herself to tell her brother face to face what was going to happen, that she was going to die, she had to die, so that Zordon would live. She had written it down instead, in the message that would summon Seth, laying out all the details for him; he would need to help Zordon deal with what was to be. Elysia put her hand to her stomach, the child there wasn't yet a child, but the essence of who it would be had already begun to form. Elysia and Zordon would never get to see her birth. "Her?" Elysia caught herself. Yes, her child was destined to be a girl, and she was destined to have all the gifts as well. Elysia and Zordon had conceived her by the bank of the Mystic Springs, and the Springs had given them a blessing and a prophecy about the child. "In thanks for the service your family has given, the sacrifices made, and the bond that cannot be broken, we tell you that you have been blessed with a child this day, in this place of peace," a not-quite voice had sounded softly in their minds. "Elysia, your child, and the children of your line that will follow, will be forever joined with us, they are a part of us and we a part of them, lifeblood and lifeblood, just as it was with Rina, so shall it be with you and your line. Your family and kin will always have the protection we have freely given, but you and your line are our blood, and we are yours, joined together forever. Remember this: there will be a trial of sorrow and pain, death and non-life. When lifeblood joins lifeblood, the circle will be complete, and a new dawn will be seen. Zordon, this blessing comes not only to Elysia, but to you as well, you and your brother are true warriors of the light. You are destined for many things, but they will carry a price. Know that the price you pay will keep the light shining brightly. Will you, Elysia and Zordon, accept the blessing and responsibility?" And of course they had, not knowing all that the voice had meant, but knowing that they were protectors of good, and to defend truth was the greatest honor. Elysia had just come to understand the prophecy herself, and now knew what she had to do, to save Zordon, to make sure her gifts went to the one who was destined to be, and to fulfill the prophecy. "Kahva," the name came to her once again, a name of two destinies now, she knew. Elysia started to record her last diary rod, she had to let her husband know what she was doing, was going to do, and why; for in the hour she would send Zordon to help Ninjor, to ensure that they would find the power source and the Crystals for the warriors she had seen that her beloved would guide and train. By twilight, she would be young Rita's prisoner. By tomorrow she must die, for Zordon to live and continue the fight, or all would be lost. She composed herself as best she could and made her entry: "If you are watching this, my husband, then that means I am dead, but I have accomplished what I needed to do, you are alive..."

* * *

Sheena rushed about the Power Chamber, Alpha had teleported most of what needed to go to the cabin there for her already, and was preparing to send the last of it to Sheena's car at the Juice Bar. As soon as she was certain she had remembered everything, she would teleport there, pick up her car and drive out to the cabin to meet Billy's mom. Alpha had just sent the last of the packages to her car, and was about to send Sheena when she stopped him. "Wait, Alpha. Zordon? Can I ask you something?"

CERTAINLY SHEENA, YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS SHARE YOUR QUESTIONS WITH ME. Sheena took a breath and the words poured out, the dreams she had been having lately about her homeworld, about her friends, and especially the ones about her best friend.

"It's as if I'm connected to her all over again, even though we're in different dimensions. She and I had promised so long ago that we would be there for each other for everything, including weddings. If she were here, she'd be my maid of honor. It's the reason I haven't been able to decide who to make my maid of honor, I can't think of anyone else but her being the one." Sheena paused, and gave a dry laugh. "You know, she would have a sixth sense about things sometimes, she even warned me that I was going to be taken away. I thought she had just been working too hard." Sheena went on a few more minutes about her best friend, finally mentioning her name to Zordon. "Kinda funny huh? Guess that should've been a hint way back then. I still don't know what I'm going to do about choosing, but thanks for listening to my ramblings, Zordon." With a nod to Alpha, Sheena disappeared in a swirl of silvery-white. Alpha could only stare up at Zordon for a few minutes after she left.

"What does that mean, Zordon? Why is Sheena having these dreams all of a sudden?" The ancient mentor was quiet for the longest time, then finally answered.

I DO NOT KNOW ALPHA, BUT I HOPE THAT IT IS NOT RELATED TO MONDO'S CURRENT ACTIVITY. IF IT IS, THEN THERE COULD BE GRAVE DANGER IN STORE FOR ALL. CONTINUE YOUR SCANS ALPHA, WE HAVE TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT MONDO IS LOOKING FOR AND WHY, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Billy wandered into the Power Chamber at that moment.

"Before what's too late?"

WE STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT MONDO IS UP TO, BILLY, Zordon replied. BUT I NO LONGER THINK THAT HE IS TRYING TO THREATEN OTHER WORLDS, I BELIEVE HE IS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC. Billy went over to Alpha and peered at the console over the robot's shoulder. One set of readings showed Sheena's recent departure, the other showed the continuous scans that were trying to track the Machine Skybase's activities.

"But what could he possibly be looking for? If Mondo was targeting one of us, or something here on Earth, the scans would focus here, instead he's still going through several other dimensions." Billy shook his head and tried to make some sense of the readings, Mondo had never done anything like this before.

UNTIL WE HAVE THAT ANSWER BILLY, ALL WE CAN DO IS TRY TO KEEP UP WITH HIS SCANS, THEN HOPE TO STOP HIM BEFORE HE CAN BRING WHATEVER HE IS LOOKING FOR HERE TO OUR DIMENSION. Billy started to assist Alpha with the scans when Zordon's voice stopped him. BILLY, ALPHA CAN CONTINUE THE SCANS FOR NOW, AS I SAID BEFORE, YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR TOO LONG WITHOUT ANY REST OR RELAXATION, YOU MUST TAKE A BREAK. WE WILL CALL YOU AS SOON AS WE FIND OUT ANYTHING, I PROMISE. Billy sighed, Zordon was starting to sound like his mother, she had noticed the dark circles under his eyes lately, he'd been trying to make sure that everything at the Power Chamber was in tip-top shape before the wedding, so that he and Sheena could hopefully have an uninterrupted honeymoon. He'd also finished up some things for the cabin, things that he would take over there once Sheena and he had moved in, between that and college courses, he knew that Zordon was right, he did need to stop for a little while.

"Okay, I can take a hint when it's coming at me from all sides," he chuckled. "Alpha, call me the second you find anything, all right? I'm going to go to Ernie's and get a picnic basket fixed up for Sheena and me, have her meet me here when she gets through at the house." Billy punched the location of the quiet little spot in the park he had in mind for their rendezvous into the teleportation console for Alpha. "See you later!" Billy disappeared in a swirl of dark blue, then the Power Chamber was quiet again except for the beeping and clicking of monitors and sensors.

"Zordon, she hasn't told Billy about her dreams, has she?" Zordon closed his eyes and sighed, the nature of the dreams had troubled him greatly once Sheena had revealed them.

I SUSPECT NOT, THOUGH I AM SURE THAT SHE WILL. ALPHA, TIGHTEN THE SCANS, TRY TO DETECT IF MONDO IS SEARCHING FOR A PARTICULAR ENERGY PATTERN. IF WE CAN FIND OUT THAT INFORMATION, THEN MAYBE WE STOP HIS PLANS BEFORE THEY CAN START. _ I HOPE,_ Zordon thought, as his trusted aide did as instructed.

* * *

Klank was glad he wasn't humanoid, he would have developed a splitting headache long before now he knew. As it was, his joints needed a serious oil soak, and he was overdue for a lubrication of his gears. For six months he had been searching for any trace of Elysia's family that may have survived Vile's purge from fifteen thousand years ago. He was still working on the premise that her nephew's family, the last known survivors, had not been teleported by Vile to one of his dark dimensions to slowly rot away, but had been able to escape somehow from Vile's magic. Too little was known about Elysia's family line and just exactly what they could do. He had at least narrowed down the search of compatible energy signatures to a mere hundred dimensions. "Better than the thousands I started with, I suppose," he muttered to himself. He sighed and creaked over to the last of the diary rods that had been brought over that morning by the Cogs, he'd sent them on one last raid of the old palace on the moon to see if there were any rods left, and to make sure the other items they had discovered were still intact. Klank looked at the rods, they seemed no different than the others he'd looked at before, until he looked closer at the pouch they had been stored in. It had Rita's name embroidered on it, and judging from the age of the fabric, it was from her youth, possibly from her early teens. Klank excitedly looked at the rods again, there were twenty in all. He picked the ten that seemed by appearance to be the oldest and placed them in his modified viewing box. The first three mainly had a not quite thirteen-year-old Rita bragging about how she was going to capture Ninjor, or capture Zordon, they laid out several wild plans. The fourth rod held what he was looking for. He called for a Cog to notify Mondo that he had found something quite important, and set his viewing box to scan for the energy signature he needed. He had it as Mondo walked in. "Sire! I've found it for ye!" he exclaimed. Before Mondo could reply, Klank replayed the rod from the beginning. It showed a young woman, twenty-four years old from his records, Klank knew, beautiful by humanoid standards, he supposed. She was Elysia, Zordon's wife, and she was trying to stop Rita and her henchmen from destroying some body of water, the legendary Mystic Springs, he guessed. Elysia managed to deflect some of the magic thrown at her by Rita, but eventually was struck down. The rod continued on with Rita's boasting, Klank skipped ahead to what was important to his master. The scene was now of Zordon confronting Rita, demanding the release of his wife, who was held by one of Rita's guards. Rita's ultimatum was his surrender to her, in exchange for Elysia's freedom. As Zordon seemed to give in and started to move to Rita, the young sorceress raised her staff to send a killing blast of black magic at the young warrior. Elysia broke free of her captor and ran between the two, taking the blast meant for Zordon. As Zordon's brother Ninjor arrived in the next moment with reinforcements to drive Rita and her minions away, Zordon cradled his dying wife in his arms. Klank nor Mondo could make out what was being said at that point, but the visual record told them just what they wanted to know. With the last bit of her strength, Elysia sent a ball of energy from her body, seemingly joined a millisecond later by another smaller one, but that was probably an afterimage, Klank decided. The energy disappeared a second later, and Elysia took her last breath. Klank went over to his computer and nearly danced with delight. "Sire! Our analysis proves what you have hoped for all along! Elysia did send her powers into the future, just like the first Silver Ranger did, to be reborn in one of her line. With these readings, and the energy signature I've lifted from the rod's record, we'll be able to determine if that signature has appeared in any dimension in the present time. I'm searching through the dimensions that have signatures similar to her nephew's, I'll wager my circuits that her signature is in one of those dimensions!"

"Well do it! I've waited long enough for this, Klank!" Mondo watched as for the next half hour Klank scanned through dimension after dimension to see which ones had similar signatures. He amused himself for a while by spying on Sheena and her friends on Earth, they were seated at a table and Sheena was talking about her friends on her homeworld. Two of the clumsiest humans he'd ever seen stumbled into Sheena and caused her to drop her precious little photo album. "Sickening human sentimentality," he muttered to himself. He peered closer at the viewscreen and stared at the picture Sheena was showing her friends now. It was of her and another human who looked a great deal like Sheena. Mondo froze the screen on that image as Klank let out a shout.

"Sire! We may be in luck! I've narrowed down the search to twenty dimensions, and there is a seventy percent chance that we will find a descendant in one of those dimensions. The search is going along more swiftly since I was able to retrieve Elysia's signature, the signature of the energy she sent -"

"Get on with it Klank!" Mondo ordered. He absolutely _hated_ it when Klank over-explained things. His majordomo had been at it for nearly a half hour now, after six months of searching Mondo's small amount of patience was wire-thin. Ten minutes later, they were rewarded. "Well, now, Elysia's descendant ended up in the same dimension that Sheena herself was sent to. Interesting, and how perfectly ironic." In another ten minutes Klank had narrowed the search down to that dimension's Earth. Within five, he had it down to a single continent. After an additional five minutes of searching, then another five of verification, Klank brought up the image of a human female. It was early morning there, about an hour before sunrise. Mondo stared greedily at the image of the young woman tossing fitfully in her sleep. He memorized every detail of her face. "How long before you can bring her here, Klank?"

Klank had already started feeding information into his device's computer banks. "My machine is only a scanner now, but now that I've got a lock on her sire, it will be very easy to create a dimensional portal and bring her here. The modifications to the scanner will only take a few hours. She will be yours by this afternoon." Klank turned to his work as Mondo looked from Klank's machine to the image that he had frozen less than an hour earlier.

"Sheena, I've got a little surprise for you. A very nasty surprise from home that is sure to ruin your wedding." Mondo laughed for a very long time as he lumbered back to his throne room. "Yes, the ones you humans love the most do tend to hurt you the most, don't they? Wait until you see what she's going to do to you, Silver Ranger!"

* * *

"Sheena look out! Cogs... needles... no... no... stop - NO!" The young woman sat up shocked straight in her bed, sweating bullets. She had woken herself with her screams, the nightmare had been so real... She shook herself; she was in her bedroom, her bedroom for a few more hours, at any rate, and was safe, if terrified at the moment. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, to bring her heartrate back down from warp speed to a normal rate. The brunette groaned as she looked at her alarm clock on the nightstand, it was an hour till sunrise, she didn't need to be awake quite this early. "Figures," she muttered to herself. "Well, might as well get on with it. I certainly don't need Steve gloating that I wasn't ready for the shoot when he got here. Thank goodness Greg will be there with the live truck, I can just leave everything with him that they'll need, and I'm gone from Richmond, Virginia forever." The young woman sat up on her bed, stretched, then reluctantly got up and started preparations for her last day in her apartment. "Kinda like almost two years ago," she thought. "Except I'm not getting ready to move in with Sheena this time, I'm just moving on. Before I screw up anyone else's life." That fateful day was still fresh in her mind...

She had just arrived at Sheena's place and was hit with the feeling that she was near a tremendous energy source, it was like she was caught in the middle of a huge static charge. She remembered trying frantically to open Sheena's door, then there was nothing but darkness, she had been knocked out. She never found out exactly how Sheena disappeared, but had been haunted ever since that day by one thought: she had been too late. For the first year of Sheena's disappearance, the brunette had visited the site as a memorial of sorts, but hadn't been able to bring herself to do it since, it had hurt too much. She blamed herself for not getting to Sheena in time. Sheena had laughed off her premonition days before. "What, me falling into a big white light? That's a dream, not a vision. You stayed up too late watching TV, sister dear," Sheena had told her.

"Why didn't you listen to me? I was supposed to move in with you that day, but instead I lost you! Why did you leave me?" Her tears blended with the water from the shower, after all this time she couldn't rid herself of the feeling that if she had gotten to Sheena's just a few minutes earlier... From that day forward, she had retreated into herself, had thrown herself into her work, but it hadn't helped. She had lost her soul-sister less than a year after she lost her adoptive parents, it had gotten to be too much to bear. "I wish I could be with her... it's got to be more interesting than Richmond. Not as empty a place, anyway. We weren't sisters by blood, but my blood tells me you aren't dead, Sheena." She ended her shower, it wasn't helping to relax or refresh her. She got dressed and went about her apartment, doing the last of her laundry, a final check to make sure she had everything packed. Jaycynda and Cindy were going to be moving into her place, they already had their keys and had signed the lease. Jaycynda had lost nearly all of her furniture in a fire at her old place, so she was getting all of the furniture there, and could sell whatever she didn't need. "I certainly don't need it," the young woman thought as she checked her bags. "Betacam - man I'm glad that I saw that ad when the indy station in Clayton disbanded its news department, I never could've afforded a new one for my own. Blank tapes, resume tapes, batteries..." She continued on her mental checklist, she had all of her news gear, except for a tripod, she didn't own one, and it would've been too bulky to take one with her anyway. She closed her gearbag and checked her personal camera bag's contents. There was a small 8mm camcorder, blank tapes, a few pre-recorded ones, batteries, a 35mm camera, two lenses, batteries for it, a flash and film, plus a few filters. She had the tripod for that gear strapped to the bottom of the bag, it was small and light, but strong and easy to transport. Her overnight bag had a few changes of clothes and an extra pair of black sneakers, plus a few personal items, among them three five-inch tall Power Ranger figures that were carefully wrapped. One was a Red Zeo Ranger, the second was the Gold Ranger, and the last was the original Blue Ranger, well before the change to Zeo. The last had been a gift from Sheena, she remembered with a sad fondness. Sheena had given it to her the day before she disappeared.

The last bag to check was her backpack from college, it now held three photo albums, an album that had all the negatives she wanted to keep, the rest she was leaving for Jaycynda and Cindy to distribute to their friends. Her backpack was still open, waiting for any last minute additions that could be squeezed in, and for three framed photos. The first photo she packed hastily, it was the only one of Sheena and herself that had ever been taken, she couldn't bring herself to look at it just then. The second was a framed, wallet-sized photo that had been found with her mother. "My first name on the back, my birthdate, nothing else. Who am I?" she wondered for the millionth time. The photo, a baby blanket and the bodies of her parents were all that had been recovered from the single car wreck that she had somehow survived at two weeks of age. The last was of Sheena and all their friends in the park, taken a few months before Sheena left'. She started to shove it in without a glance, but the images of her friends stopped her.

"Cindy. Jaycynda. Ann. Melissa. Josh. Kenny. Todd. You guys haven't blamed me, I know, but I just can't face you anymore, it's my fault Sheena isn't here with us. I lost her! I have to go, I can't stay here with the memories..." Her voice trailed off as she sat on the floor, hugging the photo tightly and crying, no longer able to keep her emotions bottled up, and trying to ignore the feeling that cold, hostile eyes were watching her, from somewhere...

* * *

Mondo watched his prize on the viewscreen while Klank continued to work on his device to bring her to their dimension, having moved it into the throne room at Mondo's order. "She's cutting off ties to her current life, she's starting over... Oh, this is going to be so easy, there will be nobody looking for her, nobody to stop her, nobody to interfere..." Mondo allowed himself to laugh, anticipating the damage he could cause with this young woman. "Sheena, get ready for a wedding you'll never forget, I promise!"

* * *

It was nine-thirty when she turned her key in to her now former landlord. "I won't be coming back, Mrs. Maitland," she said simply. "Cindy and Jaycynda will be moving in their stuff after lunch, so I'm guessing they'll be here around one or one-thirty." Mrs. Maitland placed a concerned hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"I have one last job for the station, then I'm free. I don't know, maybe I'll freelance now. I've got all my own gear. It won't be too hard, stations all over need good photographers."

"But where will you go?" Mrs. Maitland asked again.

She shrugged. "Maybe out west somewhere, maybe even Los Angeles. I've got a ticket for the train at four, I sold my car a long time ago, so I've got money, I'll be okay. I'm not coming back, Mrs. Maitland, but I'll be okay, really. You worry too much about all of us," she laughed, trying to make light of it, trying to lighten her own heart. It wasn't working too well, for Mrs. Maitland didn't seem to be convinced, but she didn't press her anymore. She went back to where she'd left her bags, and sat on the steps of what was now Jaycynda and Cindy's apartment to wait for Steve to pick her up for the shoot, pulling her long hair through a dark gray baseball cap, as was her customary fashion. Her mind drifted back to the premonitions, visions and half-dreams she'd had for almost six months now, the first ones she'd had since Sheena's disappearance. A wedding where Sheena was telling someone she's glad they're there, and she saw it through the eyes of whoever it was that Sheena was talking to. That had been a rare happy premonition, the others were frightening. A battle where "Cogs" had grabbed "Billy", then all of a sudden seeing it through his eyes, and seeing herself there. She hadn't told anyone about the visions, the young woman thought for sure she was losing it, that her grief over Sheena was making her lose her mind, or come close to it. Why else would a TV show be in her visions?

She had also seen a dungeon where Mondo was holding "Billy", and whoever's eyes she was seeing the dungeon through, that person was strapped to a table and Klank was drawing blood from them, testing it, and saying something about a potion that wouldn't work. There had been something else, but it had been so terrifying, she had woken up five nights straight screaming, and then again this morning. "Am I losing my mind?" she wondered. Even now, though she wasn't having a vision right then, remembering them was enough to make her feel like evil eyes were watching her, and she couldn't shake it. The blare of a horn grabbed her attention, Steve was there to pick her up to go cover the Power Ranger look-a-like contest. Not exactly the assignment she would've picked, had she been asked, but it ended her last work day much earlier than any other shoot would have, so she hadn't said anything. Not even when they had assigned Steve to be the reporter. He was one of the many little reasons she was leaving, he was one of the ones who had taken her for granted, who had claimed work she'd done as his own. "But if it meant that Sheena would come back, I'd gladly endure his ego," she thought as she stowed her bags in the news unit. Steve was making some stupid comment, but she didn't pay attention to what he was saying, she didn't care anymore. She clipped her station id badge onto her T-shirt as she climbed into the vehicle, the general manger had said she could keep the badge as a remembrance of the station, if she wanted to. "It's been a good time for the most part," she mused silently.

As they drove to the contest, Steve tried to make conversation with her. "Hey K. B., the anniversary of your friend Sheena taking off is coming up, right? Anyone know what ever happened to her?" She glared at him, Sheena had not taken off' and he knew it, just as he knew that no one had found out what happened. Three years of irritation with the conceited blonde reporter bubbled to the surface, just barely under her control.

"As if you care. She dumped you after one date, and I don't blame her! You've never cared about anyone except yourself, you and Lisa deserve each other. Now, if you'd like to get through this assignment peacefully, just shut up and leave me alone." For once, Steve either found a compassionate bone in his egotistical body, or was shocked speechless at this rare show of temper from the twenty-four-year-old photographer. Either way, the rest of the ride was painfully quiet, at least for him.

* * *

Sheena puttered about the cabin that would soon be home for Billy and herself, it was really starting to feel like it was going to be a home. In what would be the dining room stood the china cabinet that Billy had made for them, Sheena had never known he was such a skilled woodworker. "He learned how to build things from Uncle John," came Mrs. Cranston's voice over Sheena's shoulder. "How to build things out of wood, anyway. He definitely gets his electrical and computer skills from his father."

"And his good taste from you, Mrs. Cranston, the cabinet is beautiful," Sheena answered. Mrs. Cranston walked over and hugged her soon to be daughter-in-law.

"Please, Sheena, call me Helen. And yes, I think my son has excellent taste. I couldn't have picked a more wonderful young woman to be his wife myself." Mrs. Cranston looked around the dining room, everything seemed to be in place. "I think we can start on the den now, there's a mantle over the fireplace there that's begging for some pictures, I believe. John brought the furniture over yesterday." The two women went into the den and started to set out things in there. Mrs. Cranston gathered up some pictures to go on the mantle and arranged them, then asked for Sheena's approval. "How's that, dear?" Mrs. Cranston was placing the photo of Sheena and her best friend on the mantle, Sheena had found a frame for it that morning while shopping.

"Perfect." Sheena walked over to the fireplace and gazed sadly at the newly framed picture. Just a few hours earlier, she had told Zordon that her friend was the one who would've been her maid-of-honor. Now her friend's dark brown eyes were staring right back at her, bringing back so many memories of home... "I really wish you were here," Sheena whispered softly, forgetting for the moment that she wasn't alone. Mrs. Cranston placed her hand on Sheena's shoulder and looked at the photo of the two young women.

"She's your best friend, isn't she?"

Sheena sighed and nodded. "Yes. If she were here, she'd be my maid-of-honor. I can't choose anyone to take her place, no one can. She's as much my sister as surely as if we'd had the same parents. But barring a miracle, she can't be here, no one from home can be here, it's just not possible." Mrs. Cranston hugged Sheena and turned her to face her.

"I know our religions are different dear, but I think we both know that miracles can and sometimes do happen, if it is meant to be. Dreams that should come true have a funny way of doing just that, though not in the way we would want them to sometimes. Remember this, Sheena. Even though your friends aren't here in the flesh, as long as they are in your heart, then they will be here in spirit. True friends never leave your heart, no matter the distance." Sheena very nearly cried, Mrs. Cranston was just like _her_, she had a gift for saying what needed to be said. Sheena smiled and nodded, then went out to the car to bring in the last of her packages, it was early afternoon now, and she wanted to meet Billy by three o' clock if she could. It was a bright, wonderfully sunny day, spring had come a bit early to Angel Grove. She stopped and listened to the birdsongs, it seemed that Nature itself was forbidding her to be sad. She concentrated on her soul-sister, trying to tap into whatever connection they may have had. "Be safe, I miss you..."

* * *

The contest was pretty standard fare, she supposed. The young news photographer made her way through the crowd, getting three tapes of footage for Steve's report. She had been at it for quite a while now, they had just announced some of the winners. Lisa, Steve's girlfriend, had won the Kimberly' look-a-like contest, not that there was any real competition in that category, or very convincing look-a-likes, to her mind. There were some good young Ranger' look-a-likes, among them Mark and Parker, a couple of kids from her neighborhood that she had given nearly all of her Power Ranger items to. Not that she'd had that much to begin with. They had won the young Adam' and young Billy' categories. She got footage of the Billy' look-a-like, the guy looked so much like him that many people were convinced it was really David Yost up there. The young woman had also gotten footage for herself, a few shots to eventually add to her resume tape. She walked over to the live truck and handed in the tapes for Steve to use and started to walk off with her belongings. It was a quarter to three, Josh was going to pick her up shortly after three to take her to the train station. "And probably try to talk me out of leaving, if he figures out I'm not ever coming back. I've got to keep him from getting suspicious, if I can," she thought.

Greg was checking the tapes she'd turned in, and she was about to make a clean escape with her bags and gear when Steve walked up with Lisa. "Where are you going?"

"I don't work at the station anymore, this was my last job Steve." She was tired of not being appreciated at her job, she wanted to do something where she had more control. She was tired of him, tired of Richmond, and tired of the pain in her heart. "I handed in my notice two weeks ago, this is my last job. Greg's got the tapes you need to edit for your package."

"Oh come on, you don't expect me to believe you're leaving, that's just a show to get a raise, girl," Steve countered. As the brunette slowly turned back to scowl at Steve, Greg eased over to hiss in his ear, "Bad move, big mouth."

Her dark brown eyes seemed to turn pitch black as she looked Steve straight in his eyes, making him quite uncomfortable. "No amount of money is worth staying here, especially with you around. News flash Steve, you don't have any coattails left to ride to fame on anymore, and little Lisa here will probably dump you as soon as the next new rising news star dawns on the horizon. I'm leaving, so find someone else to do your work. Hey, novel idea Steve, do your own job yourself, for once!" She stalked off, bags and all, and headed back into the arena to wait for Josh's arrival. Greg ran up and opened the door for her.

"K. B., I knew you had some fire in you! I'm glad I got to see you take that braggart down a few pegs."

"I don't like losing my temper, I've always tried to keep everything locked down, Greg. But he just hit all my buttons on a bad day."

Greg laughed. "He deserved it. Maybe he'll shape up now, you're the best photog we've had in a long time, you'll get a good job anywhere you want. I think Steve will soon realize just how much of his career he owes to your eye and skill." Greg's smile turned wistful as she walked into the arena. "Are you sure you have to leave Richmond?" He hugged her as she stopped and nodded. "Take care, girl. I, for one, am going to miss our Little Shadow'."

"Little Shadow?" She looked at him, puzzled. "Where did that come from?"

"That's the nickname we gave you not long after you started, didn't you know that?" he chuckled. "You've got a way of sliding in and out of sight, you're so quiet, it's like you're a shadow. Take care of yourself, promise?" She smiled and promised, Greg was one of the ones she was going to miss. As he watched her disappear into the arena, Greg wondered if he'd work with anyone quite like her ever again.

And off in the reaches of another universe, cold metallic eyes were still watching...

* * *

Billy waited anxiously for his wife, Sheena had promised she would be there by three o' clock, it was nearly that time now. "She is in the Rad Bug, so she can be here at any second," he reassured himself. They'd had so little time to themselves...

"Hi, handsome!"

Billy smiled as Sheena walked up, then sat beside him on the blanket he'd laid out on the ground. The park was beautiful, there was hardly a cloud in the wonderfully blue sky. Sheena greeted him with a passionate kiss that let him know that she'd missed his company of late as much as he'd missed hers. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it."

"What, and miss our first few minutes alone in nearly a month?" she replied. Billy flashed a mischievous grin at her.

"Well, if you hadn't shown up soon, the Sapphire Ranger always could've come to look for you, to rescue you from the perils of setting up a house with my mom." Sheena grinned just as impishly back at her love.

"Really? You know, I've always wanted to find out who was under that helmet and uniform. Think I might've found out?"

"Maybe," he winked. The two of them fell back laughing, it was so good to be alone, to be a normal soon-to-be-married couple. It was three o' clock on a Monday afternoon, they were going to be married on Saturday, and at least for the moment, they were simply Billy and Sheena, two people very much in love. Sheena sighed as Billy set out the late picnic lunch, just being with him had lifted her mood.

* * *

Mondo glowered for a moment as he watched Billy and Sheena through the screen, Klank had switched the view for him while he made the last few adjustments to his machine. "You humans make me so sick with this love nonsense... Well, I'll be spoiling all that for you soon enough, Rangers. The clock is ticking on your happiness."

"Sire?"

"What is it, Klank?"

"Your dimensional transporter is complete. We shall be ready to bring the girl here in five minutes," Klank reported. Mondo gloated as the scene switched back to the other dimension where the girl was wondering down a hallway, looking at posters of some sort, he couldn't tell what, exactly. Not that it mattered.

"Tick tock, Sheena. Tick tock, tick tock, time's nearly up, tick tock, tick tock..."

* * *

"No, really, I'm not David Yost," he explained once again to the young women. Daniel had lost count of how many times he'd had to tell someone that today. He'd won the Billy' look-a-like contest, and he'd also won the overall contest, which meant he had won a free trip to California to watch a taping of the Power Rangers show. He hoped that the trip would be profitable, he wanted to get some auditions lined up if he could, this could be a big opportunity if he played his cards right. He'd made a list of agents to go see, found out about casting calls that were scheduled to be held during the time he'd be there... "All it's going to take is a little determination - and a lot of luck," he mused.

Seeing another group of young women who had spotted him, Daniel quickly headed for the backstage area, the look-a-like contest was over, but there were vendors selling Power Ranger merchandise, karate demonstrations and others activities still going on, so there were still plenty of people milling about. He sighed as he reached the quiet of the backstage area, then nearly groaned as he spotted another young woman. "Here I go again," he thought for a moment, then Daniel realized that she wasn't paying him the least bit of attention. She looked tired and was overloaded with bags. Then he spotted the news camera she was holding and Daniel recognized her as the photographer he'd seen covering the contest. She was staring at the Power Ranger posters lining the wall, killing time, he supposed. She was slender, five feet, nine inches tall he guessed, and didn't seem like she should have the strength to carry all of those bags that swamped her. She had dark brown hair pulled through a dark gray baseball cap. Without the cap, he assumed it would fall down to the middle of her back. He noted her olive complexion, she looked like she could be anything from American Indian to someone of Mediterranean descent, a Scottish Highlander, or even Italian, there were so many possibilities... She also looked very familiar to him. Daniel made up his mind, and walked over to talk to her.

The brunette had been besieged with memories ever since she had gotten to the contest. All the Power Ranger stuff and the look-a-likes made her remember how much Sheena had loved the show, how she had dragged her in front of the TV to watch the Power Rangers and look at Billy' that first time. "Isn't he gorgeous!" she'd gushed. And Sheena was right, he certainly was good-looking, in spite of the clunky glasses he'd worn that first season.

She found herself in front of a pre-Zeo Power Rangers poster and looked at the Blue Ranger. She knew how much Sheena loved him, and mentally put the face of David Yost over the helmet. As she gazed at the poster, her mental image of David Yost was replaced briefly by the face of Billy'. She shook her head, what was happening here? The face was the same, but slightly different, as if she was seeing the real Billy'. "Real Billy'? What am I thinking, he's a character on a show!" she admonished herself. Then her mind returned to the mental image of the actor, but she couldn't shake the weirdness of the experience. She went to the next poster, a Power Rangers Zeo poster that had the Gold Ranger in it also. Something seemed to flash in the background of the poster, she suddenly saw' a Ranger in a dark blue uniform that had a slight metallic sheen to it, his helmet had a fierce wolf design. Sapphire Ranger', her mind supplied for some reason. Then she saw' a Silver Ranger', with a cheetah design on her helmet, and then Sheena standing with the Silver Ranger'. Then they might have become one person, or one of them simply disappeared, she wasn't sure which.

A tap on her shoulder banished the vision, and the poster was back to normal. She turned to see a young blonde man looking at her worriedly. For a second, she thought she was looking at David Yost, but remembered in the next moment that he wasn't there. "It's one of the look-a-likes," she realized. She was hit with another vision then. For a second she saw another face over his, Billy's', like there was his face over the look-a-like's face, but slightly off, just a little different. Then as suddenly as it hit, the double image was gone, and she only saw the look-a-like's concerned expression.

"Are you all right? You seemed a little lost there for a second." His smile was warm and inviting, Sheena would've liked him, she decided.

"I was just thinking about something, a little lost in thought, I suppose you could say. You're the one who won the contest, right?"

"Yes," he answered. "I've been asked if I was the real guy so many times today, I think I'm going to scream. Though I guess I should take it as a compliment. But I'm being rude here, I haven't introduced myself properly, my dear," he stated with an exaggerated air. It had the desired effect, the young woman finally smiled. "I'm Daniel Whitley." He hoped that she would answer, she looked a bit uncomfortable at his attention. "And you are?" She took his extended hand and shook it, but he barely noticed, he was lost in her warm, dark chocolate brown eyes.

"Nice to meet you Daniel. I'm Kahva Briton."

* * *

"Sire, the device is ready," Klank reported. Mondo whirled about to face him with impatient glee.

"What are you waiting for then? Bring her here at once!" the Machine King ordered. Mondo turned back to the viewer in anticipation. Not only was he about to get some old Eltaran power, and one of the oldest bloodlines from that world; the one who Elysia had sent the power into the future to, the one the power had found, was Sheena's best friend. Mondo was beside himself, she was the best bargaining chip he could have short of Billy.

"Yes, sire," Klank complied. He flipped a few switches and muttered a hopeful prayer to his Assembler, he'd never tried anything like this before. "Please work, after all this, please work," he urged his device with a whisper. No need to let Mondo know that it had been constructed more on guesswork than actual knowledge. The machine coughed and whirred, then a purplish cog-wheel-shaped portal formed and beamed out of the Machine Skybase. "The portal is heading for her now, sire."

* * *

"Zordon, the Machine Skybase is sending out an energy beam of some kind, it's going through to another dimension!

CONTACT BILLY AT ONCE ALPHA, WE NEED TO STOP THAT BEAM FROM REACHING THE OTHER DIMENSION, Zordon ordered. Alpha frantically pushed buttons on the communications panel, but could get no response.

"Zordon! The energy beam is interfering with our communications! I can't contact Billy or any of the other Rangers! And our scanners show that the beam is heading for the same dimension Sheena came from!" Alpha ran about the main chamber in a near panic, trying anything he could to contact Billy or stop the beam. "I can't stop the beam, Zordon! What do we do?"

KEEP TRYING TO STOP THE BEAM ALPHA, I'LL KEEP TRYING TO CONTACT THE RANGERS. I FEAR THAT MONDO HAS FOUND WHAT HE IS LOOKING FOR. As Alpha continued his efforts, Zordon didn't dare voice his fear that Mondo hadn't found _what_ he was searching for, but _who._

* * *

Kahva decided that she liked the young man. Besides the fact he was a dead ringer for the actor who played Billy', Daniel was the nicest guy she'd met in a long time. They were making small talk, sharing little things about each other, like their mutual love of photography and acting, that they were both twenty-four years old, both loved reading and sailing... but the small talk was running out, and in spite of his charm and wit, Kahva was still overwhelmed with the painful memories that were making her leave Richmond. No amount of laughter could lift the weight from her heart. She looked into his hazel eyes, one difference from the actor, she thought absently, and had the double image again of a face over a face, Billy's' over Daniel's. He didn't seem to notice her distraction as he looked over her bags that she'd put down.

"Got everything in there but the kitchen sink?" he asked, pointing to the bags. She shook her head to clear the double image and laughed a little. "No, just what's left of my life, I suppose." Daniel frowned at that.

"What's left of your life? What do you mean, what's wrong? Is there anything I can help with?" he offered. He'd only been talking to her for five minutes, but already he was thoroughly smitten with her.

She smiled ruefully as she gathered her bags back up, it was nearly time for Josh to arrive. She waited for the janitor who had just come down the hallway to pass before she answered. "Unless you can turn back time, no. The past couple of years haven't been all that great, I need a fresh start, that's all. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Kahva turned to leave with her bags and camera, but stopped to look back at attractive young man. "Thanks for asking though. Nice to know someone cares." Daniel moved to her, placing his hand on her arm to keep her from leaving.

"Don't your friends care?" he asked. Kahva sighed, she hadn't wanted to talk to anyone about why she was leaving, but she couldn't help but answer him.

"I can't face them. It's my fault everything's wrong."

"Why?" 

"I didn't stop Sheena from disappearing," she replied softly.

Daniel straightened up a bit, now he knew why she was so familiar, why he had felt the urge to talk to her. "That's who you are, you're talking about Sheena Devereaux, right? I thought I recognized you, you were found unconscious at her place with no memory of what happened. The news reports said you heard something and opened the door, then evidently you were knocked out right after that. The police got a call about a woman screaming and found you outside her door with a mild concussion, I think they said?" Daniel placed his hands on her shoulders to make her face him. "You were knocked out, there's no way you could've stopped whatever happened. It's not your fault, why are you blaming yourself?" Kahva turned her head, she couldn't look at him anymore, too many memories were surfacing, memories that hurt too badly to remember. She took a shaky breath and answered him, trying to ignore the prickly feeling in her spine, the feeling of something creeping up behind her.

"If I had gotten there a few minutes earlier, I could've done something! You don't understand..." She broke from his hold and turned to leave, but stopped again, this time because of something she couldn't explain. "Something's feeling weird here," she thought out loud. Kahva had a sense of something dark and cold moving through the air, the essence of evil. "This is like when Sheena disappeared, but sinister, hostile..." she said. Daniel didn't know what to make of the young woman's ramblings, it seemed she had forgotten that he was there.

"Poor thing," he thought. "She's really got a bad guilt trip going here." Aloud he said, "It wasn't your fault -" He stopped as a cold breeze started to move through the hallway from out of nowhere. Kahva stared at a spot next to her. Daniel couldn't see it yet, but she saw a purplish circle, shaped like a cog from a machine, starting to form beside her. As she tried to push Daniel away from her, everything in the hallway took on a purplish tinge, then an ominous dark violet-black. She shuddered as the breeze turned to a strong wind, the awareness of something malignant, something cold and dangerous couldn't be ignored anymore. Daniel could see the cog-shaped circle now, it was opening up and forming a funnel. To where, he didn't want to know. The entire hallway was bathed in a purple glow, posters were tearing off the walls and the winds around the funnel were howling. Daniel struggled to keep his balance. "What's going on!" Kahva tried to shove him away again, but she was being dragged into the funnel, bags and all.

"Get out of here!" she screamed. Daniel shook his head, he wasn't going to lose her now.

"Grab my hand!" Daniel felt himself sliding across the floor, he was caught in whatever was taking Kahva.

"Daniel, run! Get away -"

"Kahva!"

* * *

Josh ran up to the arena, it was a little after three o' clock according to his watch, Kahva would be proud of him being so prompt. He noticed a bunch of people pacing around the main entrance to the arena and wondered what was going on. He spotted Steve, the reporter that Kahva was supposed to have worked with that day, but Josh ignored him, Steve wasn't one of Kahva's favorite people. He then saw Greg, the guy who ran the live truck, and trotted over to him. "Greg, right? I'm Josh, one of Kahva's friends, I'm supposed to be picking her up. What's going on? Where's Kahva?" Greg's face was ashen, and as Steve wandered over, Josh saw that he didn't look much better. "What's going on, somebody tell me something here." Greg looked at Steve, then back to Josh.

"One of the janitors was backstage and heard a noise, like a woman and a man screaming. He went to check it out, and when he got to the hallway, it looked like a war zone. Posters everywhere, trash cans knocked over, like there'd been a bad fight or something. There was no sign of the man or woman. He's already described the people to security, he passed them in the hallway a minute before he heard the noise, we're waiting on police to arrive now. The missing man is the one who won the overall look-a-like contest, we think." Greg sighed and looked straight into Josh's eyes. "The woman is Kahva. I'm sorry, Josh, she's gone." Josh turned and ran into the arena, making his way past the security guards to the backstage area. The hallway was indeed a wreck, littered with posters and trash. He spotted something plastic, about the size of a id tag. He picked it up, it was Kahva's station id badge. He sat in the middle of the hallway and cried as the first police officers made their way into the area, clenching the badge tightly in his hands.

"Not again. Oh please God, _not again..."_

* * *

"Where am I? What's going on, where am I going?" Kahva wondered. She was trying to yell her questions in the maelstrom, but the winds were beating her too badly. "At least Daniel got away," she assured herself. She hadn't seen him after the funnel had sucked her in anyway, so she fiercely clung to the hope that he was okay. Kahva had no perception of direction, nothing was up, down, sideways, anything. "Sheena..." she thought as consciousness started to leave her. There was a vague sensation of changing direction, then everything went black...

* * *

"What is going on, you rusty tin can!" Mondo screamed at Klank. Where is my prisoner!" Klank bustled about the throne room in a panic, something was wrong, very wrong.

"I dinna know sire, the portal is steering away from the Skybase. It's going to open up on Earth!" Klank shook with fear as the Machine King started to blow sparks and smoke.

"Bring her here Klank! Bring my prize here! I will not lose her now!" Mondo roared. Klank could only squeak in response.

"It's too late, sire. She's on Earth."

* * *

"Billy, I can't believe it's almost our wedding day... again," Sheena said. She and Billy were talking about their upcoming wedding, about how they could celebrate their anniversary and not worry about mixing up dates and confusing Billy's family. "It's so close to perfect, I still think I'm dreaming, sometimes."

"Close? It's not perfect?" Billy studied her for a moment. "You mean Mondo destroying the church, right? Yeah, I always thought that I'd get married there, I grew up there practically." Sheena's gaze fell down to the blanket, a look of regret flashing across her face. "What? Sheena, it's not the place that makes the wedding, it's who is there, the love, your family and friends..." His voice trailed off as she looked up at him.

"I know. I really hate what happened to the church. I'm not a Christian, but still, Mondo destroyed a sacred place, he had no right to do that." Billy stared hard at her, there was something else.

"Sheena, what's been bugging you? It's more than just the church. Tell me, please."

Sheena sighed and finally told Billy about her dreams. "I've been thinking about home, my other life a lot lately. My friends, my best friend, especially." Sheena smiled and laughed as a good memory flooded back to her. "I can remember dragging her in front of the TV to watch an episode of Power Rangers, to watch you... rather the actor who played you, but it was the _character_ I loved, it was you. It's funny, after I got her to start watching the show, she would say that certain things, like how Zordon got in the time warp, weren't right. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that they weren't right. I figured she was just getting weird, I never really thought about it. It's like I told Zordon this morning, lately it's like I'm connected to her all over again. She's my best friend, my soul-sister... and she can't be here."

"What's her name?" Billy winced inwardly at the pained look on Sheena's face. "Never mind, you can tell me later. The last thing I want to do right now is to make you sad. This is supposed to be a happy time, a time for us to relax before the insanity of the wedding this Saturday." Sheena couldn't help but smile at that, he was trying so hard to make her feel better. _ Goddess, what did I ever do to deserve such a man? Thank You for bringing us together. And please, keep my friends safe. Please, let them know somehow that I'm okay and happy. _ Sheena gazed into Billy's eyes and felt his love flowing through to her very soul. Billy grinned. "There is maybe something we should work on before the wedding."

"What's that?"

"The kiss." As Billy leaned in to practice the you may now kiss your bride' part of the wedding, they both heard a rush of wind. They turned just in time to see a purple cog-like circle open up, and an object fall out of it and crash into the ground. It seemed to be a heap of body and bags, lying just a few feet away from Sheena. Billy got to the person first, it was a young woman. Her hair was covering her face, and a dark grey baseball cap was lying a few inches from her. Sheena picked up the cap, her breath stopping as she recognized it.

"This is impossible, it can't be..." Sheena looked at the crumpled mass of body and bags lying in front of them. "Kahva?" As Billy brushed the hair away from the unconscious woman's face, Sheena's heart leapt with joy. "Kahva!" she cried, not daring to believe what she was seeing. But as the young woman stirred and opened her eyes, Sheena knew it to be true: her soul-sister was there, right in front of her.

* * *

Daniel had the feeling of falling fast, a feeling that was confirmed as he hit something hard. He dared to open his eyes just in time to see the purple funnel he'd been pulled into close in mid-air. He was lying on a bench, and his shoulder was starting to throb a tiny bit already from his abrupt arrival. He got up and looked around, he guessed he was in a park somewhere. "Kahva?" Daniel called, hoping she was nearby. "Kahva!" No one answered his call. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized he was all alone, and he had no idea where he was.

"Hey Billy!" a voice called. Daniel didn't realize the voice was calling him until a hand grasped his shoulder. "Billy, you okay? You look a little out of it, the wedding isn't driving you that crazy, is it?"

"If I were marrying Sheena, I'd be crazy from love too, Bulky."

_Bulky?_ Daniel couldn't believe his ears. The voices sounded like the actors from the Power Rangers TV show, the ones who played Bulk' and Skull'. The two young men looked like them too. "I'm sorry, you've got the wrong person here. My name is Daniel Whitley. Umm, I guess I am a little out of it, I've lost track of my friend I came with, she's about five feet, nine inches tall, long, dark brown hair -"

"Sounds like Sheena," Bulk' replied.

"Dark, chocolate brown eyes, olive complexion," Daniel continued.

"That doesn't sound like Sheena," the one who looked like Skull' stated. Daniel shook his head, these guys were really in character. But they had thought he was Billy', and they were talking about Sheena'... Daniel decided to try a hunch.

"I came here with Kahva Briton, she's a friend of Sheena Devereaux's, we, uh, wanted to surprise Sheena. For the, um, wedding, you know. But I've lost Kahva, have you seen her?" Daniel hoped his gamble would pay off.

The one who the skinny guy had called Bulky' answered him. "Haven't seen anyone like that, but Sheena drove up on the other side of the park a few minutes ago, maybe your friend is with her already. Over that way," he pointed to what was apparently the other side of the park. "Hey, your friend sounds an awful lot like Sheena, is she dating anyone?" Bulk' asked hopefully. Daniel started off in the direction he had pointed in.

"Yes," he lied. "Me."

"All the good ones are taken," Bulk grumbled as the stranger jogged off. "And we didn't even get to see this one yet."

"Life's not fair, Bulky my man. Life's just not fair."

* * *

Mondo raged about the throne room, everything had been going so well, according to his perfect plan... Now that plan was on the verge of ruination. "Where is she!" he screamed at Klank again. "What happened!"

Klank's audio receptors were about to blow from Mondo's verbal barrage. "Sire, I haven't been able to locate her yet, but I am getting some strange readings here. It seems there were two people in the portal. Perhaps the young man we saw her talking to was pulled in with her. The readings also indicate that the portal was altered as it came back into our dimension."

"How could that old fool Zordon have found out what we were doing? How did he alter the portal?"

"Sire, the portal wasn't altered by anything from the Power Chamber, or anything else on Earth." Klank checked his data once more, he couldn't be sure of just what had happened though. "But something did alter the portal. And I don't think it was a malfunction here. Perhaps it was affected by the second person being in the portal. It was, after all, designed only to bring one person over, not two." Klank watched as his master's full-blown rage settled down a few notches to just seething anger. But there was an odd satisfaction in his voice just the same.

"Perhaps, Klank. Just find her and bring her here. I want her to be _mine_..."

* * *

"Kahva!" Sheena knelt by the woman, there could be no doubt, it was her. Sheena took her hand and willed her to wake up completely. "What in the world are you doing here?" As Kahva finally opened her eyes and looked at her, Sheena silently muttered a thankful prayer.

Billy was completely confused. "Huh?" was all he could say. The only Kahva he knew of was the ghost. The new arrival looked up at him with an equally confused expression.

"Daniel? What happened?"

Billy was really confused now. "Sheena?" Sheena was so happy, she could barely contain herself.

"Billy, this is Kahva, I don't believe it!"

"Kahva is a ghost, what are you talking about?" The young woman Sheena was calling Kahva stared hard at him, as if seeing him clearly for the first time.

"Billy? Not Daniel? BILLY!" Her eyes grew wide, then shut abruptly as she fainted. Sheena patted her face worriedly, but Kahva didn't wake up.

"She's never fainted before, not that I can remember, anyway. We'd better get her to the Power Chamber." Sheena was already tapping her communicator as Billy gathered Kahva into his arms.

"Who's Daniel?"

"I don't know," Sheena replied. Billy was still confused by the sudden arrival of the girl.

"And you know this girl - wait a minute, she's the one in your picture. Her name is Kahva also? How'd she get here?" Sheena frowned as she could neither contact the Power Chamber, nor teleport them there.

"Give you three guesses and the first two don't count."

"Mondo," Billy answered, it was the only thing that made any sense. "We'll take the Rad Bug then, we've got to get her to the Power Chamber before Mondo finds out she's here." Billy picked Kahva up and carried her to the vehicle as Sheena quickly gathered up the bags and the news camera that had come through with her and loaded them in the car. Billy ran back and got the picnic fixings as Sheena cranked up the Rad Bug. Within just a couple of minutes of her arrival, Kahva was being teleported again, but this time to the Power Chamber. As the Rad Bug drove off, a young man who looked very much like Billy ran up.

"Kahva?" Daniel called. He could see a car leaving the parking lot as he ran up, he hoped that it wasn't Kahva leaving with someone, he had to find her, they had to find out where they were. A piece of black plastic caught his eye, it was a broken lens cap. "This must've come off of her camera. At least I hope it was hers," he said softly to himself. Daniel stood and looked around, he had to find her, every instinct told him that they were both in a great deal of trouble.

* * *

"Incoming, incoming! Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha yelped. As the blur the sensors showed entering the Zord Holding Bay solidified into the Rad Bug, Alpha relaxed a bit. "It's Billy and Sheena, Zordon - they've got someone with them?" For the first time since he had detected the energy beam from the Machine Skybase, Alpha actually stood stock still as Billy picked up a young woman from the backseat of the car, while Sheena pulled several bags from the trunk.

TELEPORT THEM DIRECTLY HERE, ALPHA. BILLY AND SHEENA WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT A STRANGER TO THE POWER CHAMBER WITHOUT JUST CAUSE. Alpha checked the internal teleportation systems, they hadn't been scrambled by the energy beam. He pressed a button and in a split second, Billy, Sheena, the unconscious young woman and the bags, along with a news camera, were in the middle of the main chamber. Billy immediately moved to one of the examining tables and placed the girl on it, then automatically started running scans on her. BILLY, SHEENA. THE MACHINE SKYBASE SENT OUT AN ENERGY BEAM A FEW MINUTES AGO, BUT WE WERE UNABLE TO STOP IT. THE BEAM ALSO SCRAMBLED OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND EXTERNAL TELEPORTATION SYSTEMS, SO WE COULD NOT CONTACT ANY OF YOU, NOR BRING YOU HERE. MAY I ASSUME THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE BROUGHT A STRANGER TO THE POWER CHAMBER? Sheena put down the bags and camera and walked closer to Zordon's warp.

"We were having a picnic in the park and heard a noise, it was one of Mondo's teleportation portals opening up. Kahva fell right out of it." As Alpha squeaked, Sheena quickly added, "Kahva Briton, my best friend from back home I told you about this morning. My soul-sister. Zordon, no ordinary teleportation beam could've brought her here, what happened? Why is she here?"

IT WOULD SEEM THAT MONDO'S ENERGY BEAM WAS IN FACT A DIMENSIONAL PORTAL. Billy looked up from his scans of the still unconscious Kahva.

"That means that Mondo wasn't searching for a thing, or a power source, he was searching for a person. One of your friends, Sheena." Billy looked at the innocent girl who had so suddenly arrived in their world. She looked even more like Sheena in person than in the photo Sheena had showed him when they were sorting through her purchases that morning. So much alike, and so different at the same time... "Why would Mondo bring her here, though?"

UNTIL WE CAN DETERMINE THAT, YOUR FRIEND IS IN GREAT DANGER, SHEENA. SHE MUST STAY HERE SO WE CAN INSURE HER SAFETY. WE CAN ASSUME THAT WHATEVER MONDO'S PLANS FOR HER ARE, THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT IN HER BEST INTERESTS, OR YOURS. Kahva stirred on the examining table, Sheena ran to her side and took her hand again.

"Ohhh," Kahva moaned. "What happened?" As her vision cleared, she saw a very familiar face peering anxiously into hers. "Sheena? Oh, man, I've lost it, I'm seeing things."

"Only if I'm seeing things too, and I think if you were a Cog in disguise, Billy would've found that in his scans by now."

Billy grinned. "Nope, she's very much human, if a bit worse for wear at the moment. Hello there. I'm Billy Cranston, not Daniel, whoever that is. Nice to meet you." Kahva stared at him, and for a second Sheena thought she would faint again, but instead she struggled to sit up, unsuccessfully.

"Sheena? You're real? Where am I? Where's Daniel?"

Sheena laughed with relief as Kahva started to regain her senses a bit. "Yes, I'm real, you're in the Power Chamber, and I have no idea who this Daniel is you're talking about, but I'll take a wild guess that he looks like Billy, since you thought Billy was him in the park?" Kahva frowned and shook her head to clear the cobwebs, finally managing to sit up.

"I was talking to him before that - whatever," she shuddered, "sucked me in. He was trying to pull me out, I kept yelling at him to get away, then I couldn't see anything except for purple and black. I don't know what happened to him... uhh," she groaned as dizziness washed over her. Sheena helped her lie back down on the examining table again, Kahva was unconscious in the next second. Sheena turned back to Zordon.

"Could someone else have been brought over with her? I don't know any Daniel, but she did think Billy was him in the park." Billy was already working on the communications and teleportation controls. A minute later he closed a panel, then smiled at the readings he received.

"Communications and teleportation back online. Alpha, check the sensor logs and see if another portal opened up here on Earth, or at the Machine Skybase." He turned at Sheena's sharp breath. "If he was pulled through too, he might have ended up there, we have to be sure."

"The portal that opened up where you two were was originally a single portal, but part of it did split off. Sensors show it opened up on the other side of the park from you and Sheena. I'm getting a lifeform reading, but whoever it was isn't there anymore. Scanning now."

Sheena went over to the little robot. "Hurry Alpha," she urged. "If Mondo knows he's here, he's in trouble too."

* * *

"Sire! There _was_ someone else in the portal with the girl, he's still in the park."

"I don't care about him, I want the girl!" Mondo lumbered over to Klank to look at the scans for himself. Klank rattled nervously for a moment, Mondo wouldn't like his news.

"I canna find any sign of her, Yer Nastiness, only the young man." Mondo yelled in rage and nearly hit Klank, but stopped himself.

"Bring him here. If I have him, then I can still get the girl. And finally I can put my plan into action. Send down the Cogs!"

* * *

Daniel wandered about the park, hoping desperately to find Kahva, but he was having no luck at all. He fought down a wave a panic; wherever she was, she had to be in more trouble than he was. The whatever it was had opened up right next to her, if he had run, he wouldn't have been pulled in. "There's no way I could've left her then, and I'm not going to leave her now," he said to himself. "Where could she be?"

"You'll be joining her soon enough!" a cold metallic voice roared all around him. Daniel whirled, looking for the source of the voice. Above him the image of a massive metal head with a whirling crown floated. "Cogs, seize him!" it commanded. Daniel turned around in a circle, Cogs were appearing everywhere, surrounding him.

"This can't be happening," he thought as he steeled himself for an attack. But instead of a Cog leaping on him, the next thing he felt was an invisible something gripping him, and then the park, Cogs and floating image vanished from view.

* * *

"Klank! Where is he?" Mondo roared, though he already knew the answer. "Why did you let him get away?" Klank stammered and stuttered, but Mondo cut him off with an impatient wave of his hand. "Never mind, you fool. So, you have your friend and her friend safe in the Power Chamber, do you Sheena? Maybe I can't drop her into your wedding as a surprise anymore, but she has to come out of there sometime. And when she does... Shifter! Come here at once!" The spying monster that served him so well on Eltar appeared a few moments later in the throne room and stood beside Klank's dimensional portal device.

"Yes, my liege? How may I serve you?"

"There is someone you will be retrieving for me as soon as possible, a young woman. A very special young woman." Mondo called up Kahva's image on the viewscreen. "Remember this girl, she is to be brought to me at the first opportunity. Dismissed." As Shifter started to leave, Mondo called him back. "Something else, my servant. If the chance presents itself, you are to capture the Sapphire Ranger as well. Now go." Mondo watched the viewscreen as the last of his Cogs teleported back to the Skybase. "The child is a good bargaining chip, but having Sheena's husband as well will doubly insure the Silver Ranger's compliance with my wishes. But even without her precious Billy, I can still do a lot of damage with the girl. Have a nice reunion, Sheena. Pity for you it won't be a long one."

* * *

"I've found him, Sheena! He's in the park, not too far from where you and Billy were picnicking," Alpha announced. Sheena peered at the readouts over Alpha's shoulder, even after a year on the team, she still couldn't make heads or tails out of some of the controls. But she hadn't felt so bad about it after realizing that with the exception of Billy, and sometimes Adam, the other Rangers had just as hard a time with some of them. Billy walked over and punched up an image on the viewing globe.

"There he is - he does look like me," Billy stated with a bit of shock. "I've never had a twin, but I think I've got one now. Alpha, prepare to bring him here, if Mondo finds him -"

Alarms blared as Cogs and a holographic image of Mondo appeared around the young man on the viewing globe. MONDO HAS FOUND HIM, HURRY ALPHA. YOU MUST BRING HIM HERE AT ONCE, Zordon ordered. AFTER HE IS HERE, CONTACT THE OTHER RANGERS. Alpha hastily worked the teleportation controls, and a white teleportation beam surrounded the young man on the screen. A few seconds later, the beam appeared right beside Billy, and solidified into the form of the other dimensional visitor. Billy put his hand on Daniel's shoulder to turn him around, and had to duck a wild roundhouse punch instead.

"You're not taking me!" Daniel yelled. "Bring Kahva back - wait, you're human." It was Daniel's turn to stare as he got a good look at Billy. "You're - me, or I'm you, or... you're not with the metal guys, are you?" he asked suspiciously. Sheena walked over to him, extending her hand.

"Fortunately not, Mondo hasn't succeeded in turning one of us to his side permanently. Though he's certainly tried, and has come close on occasion. I'm Sheena Devereaux, this is Billy Cranston, my fiancé,." Daniel studied her and Billy for a moment, then finally shook her hand. "Man, the special effects get better every season," he joked. "I'm Daniel Whitley." He glanced around the main chamber, awed by all the controls and monitors. "I'll take a wild stab that since I've already run into a Bulk and Skull, and Cogs and King Mondo just then, that this is the Power Chamber? Though there wasn't a Sheena Devereaux character the last time I looked at the show. But I have to admit, I haven't watched the show all that much." Sheena smiled at that.

"No, I don't remember a character based on me before I came over either. I'm just glad we got you in here in time, Daniel. We were afraid that Mondo would find you before we did."

"You knew about me? You were looking for me? Did you guys bring us here?"

"We knew about you because Kahva was asking for you, she thought I was you at first," Billy supplied. "We brought you here to the Power Chamber, but we believe Mondo is the one who brought the two of you to this dimension."

"Kahva was asking for me? She's here? She's okay?" Daniel asked in an anxious rush. "Where is she? Mondo acted like he had her..." Sheena moved so that Daniel could see Kahva lying on one of the examining tables. "Kahva..." he breathed, then rushed to her side. He studied her face, she was a little pale, but seemed otherwise uninjured. "Is she okay? We were talking backstage at the arena, and everything went crazy." Daniel jumped as he saw Alpha for the first time, shuffling over to the other side of the table.

"She just needs to rest and recover from the dimensional teleportation, it appears. We need to check you also Daniel, to make sure that you're okay." Alpha tried to guide Daniel to another table, but he wouldn't move. "The other Rangers are on their way. Daniel?" The young man shook his head, he didn't want to leave Kahva's side. Sheena placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him.

"She'll be okay, Alpha and Billy checked her out as soon as we got her here." Sheena turned Daniel to face her. "I know how you feel, she's my soul-sister, I don't want to let her out of my sight either." Daniel stood looking from Sheena to Kahva for a few moments, then was about to move to the other table so Alpha could check him when the rest of the Rangers materialized in the Power Chamber.

"Hey, I've still got that killer history exam to study for, couldn't Mondo have waited..." Rocky started to joke, but stopped as he and the others saw Daniel standing by Sheena and Billy, and someone else lying on an examining table. "Umm, guys, are my eyes getting weird from studying, or are there two Billys over there?" The other Rangers were in as much shock as Rocky, they couldn't say anything. Daniel laughed at their expressions.

"Guess I really am a Billy look-a-like. Nice to know that winning the contest wasn't a fluke." Sheena laughed then, and quickly made introductions. As Kahva stirred on the table, Daniel rushed back to her and helped her sit up. Sheena was relieved to see the she was a little more stable this time, and the color was slowly starting to creep back into her face. Daniel sat beside Kahva on the table as Alpha started to scan him. "Welcome back, sweetie."

"You've known me all of a few minutes and already I'm your sweetie? You don't waste time, Daniel." There was a short pause as Kahva realized what she'd said. "Daniel? Oh my God, I didn't know if you had gotten away, or if something had happened..." her voice trailed off as Daniel fiercely hugged her.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, as I'm sure Doctor Robot, Alpha, whatever your name is, little guy," Daniel looked at Alpha, "will find out after he does... whatever it is that he's doing." Daniel grasped the edge of the table as a wave of dizziness struck him. "I just hope the room stops moving, it's making me a little dizzy here." Kahva hugged him back, then looked at Sheena.

"I thought I'd never see you again, Sheena. But I knew you were alive, I could _feel_ it. Your dad and I knew you were still alive." Kahva's smile was replaced with sadness. Sheena moved over to her, she had a feeling she knew what was wrong, but had to ask the question just the same.

"How is my Dad?" she asked softly. Kahva's eyes welled up, and Sheena had her answer. "When?" Sheena's voice started to crack, Billy moved to hold her as Sheena took Kahva's hands in hers.

"A little over six months after you disap - left'. We never believed you were dead, we knew you were still alive. Sheena, he loved you so much, he couldn't have loved you anymore had you been his own flesh and blood. His last thoughts were of you, he wanted you to know that he understood. He didn't know why you had gone away, but he knew that if you could've warned us or told us, you would have. He didn't blame you in the least, he never did. And he also knew if you were kidnapped, like the police believed, that you would find your way back one day, that whoever had you wouldn't be able to keep you captive." Kahva tried to blink back tears. "He passed in his sleep, with all of us by his side. It was peaceful, there was no pain." Sheena moved from Billy to hug Kahva, for a long time they just held each other, crying. The other Rangers cried silently, they knew how much Sheena loved her adoptive father, and how worried she had been about him, about his health. No one said anything, there were no words that could be spoken. Sheena finally let Kahva go and the two of them dried their tears with tissues that Billy had produced. Sheena smiled at her husband.

"Thanks, Billy. Thank you for being there," Sheena told her best friend. "I know he thought of you as his daughter, too, even before the Britons passed away. Did they ever find out what started the fire at their store?" Kahva nodded, surprisingly, a smile crossed her face.

"It took three years, but they finally arrested their suspects last week. It was T. C. and Randy who did it. Remember, he'd escaped from jail about two weeks before the fire? Seems he was hiding out with T. C., and they robbed the store for some quick cash to get out of town. T. C. is trying to say it was an accident, that they didn't mean for a fire to start, but the evidence shows differently. She's finally getting her just rewards, I guess you could say. They've both been charged with the deaths of my adoptive parents." Kahva shook her head. "You know, I almost feel sorry for T. C. She's actually scared for once," she sighed. "But we both tried to get her to straighten out... I guess you can't win them all. She made her choice to break the law. Now she has to face up to what she did." Kahva shook her head and forced a smile. "But enough seriousness for now, I've got my soul-sister back! For a little while at least," she grinned. "What has been going on with you here, wherever here is, these past two years?" Sheena laughed, it was so good to hear her voice again.

"Oh, nothing much... My first year here was pretty uneventful. In the past year however, I've learned a martial art on another planet, fallen in love, become a superhero, now I'm their leader... little stuff like that, that's all," she joked. Kahva's eyes grew as big as saucers as she looked from Sheena to Billy, who once again had his arms around her. Sheena was alarmed as Kahva sank back against Daniel, her eyes closed. 

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. For a few seconds there was no response, then Kahva's eyes popped open and she grinned wickedly.

"Psyche! That's payback, girl!"

Sheena was so relieved that Kahva was okay that she nearly choked. "Payback for what?" Kahva laughed as she looked at Billy and Sheena, she was enjoying some kind of private memory or joke. "For what?"

"Let me put it this way: I have only one request, Sheena. Turn off your transmitter to me when you kiss him, please!" she said, pointing to Billy. Now it was Sheena's turn to be shocked.

"WHAT? What are you talking about?" Kahva giggled, it wasn't often that she could surprise Sheena, and she had two years to catch up on.

"You remember my premonitions, right? They stopped after you left, but I think they've started up again, within the last few months, anyway. Well, I saw a Silver Ranger' without a helmet on, bowed over another Ranger in a dark blue uniform who was lying on a table like this, and the Silver Ranger' started to leave to get Mondo, to make him pay for what he'd done." All the other Rangers had been smiling at the exchange, but at this, they stiffened and paid strict attention. If the girl was talking about the incident with the bonsai tree... Sheena's eyes went wide, she had never said what she was going to do, but she had been thinking it, and had quietly sworn her oath over Billy. Kahva continued, "But then the one in dark blue woke up and hugged her and they kissed! It was you and Billy over there! I was so startled, I didn't see the flash flood rushing at me. I was out of action for nearly two months!" Sheena exchanged a look with Billy, he was just as surprised as she was.

"Two months... when was this?"

Kahva laughed again. "Look, you can kiss him all you want, just don't send the signal to me without warning!" Sheena quickly kissed Billy, just to annoy Kahva, and because she wanted to. Kahva wrinkled her nose at Sheena in mock irritation, then answered the question. "Oh, let's see, this was about six months ago. I messed up my back pretty bad, and had some bad cuts and deep bruises. I ended up with an infection that made me really sick about a week after getting taken down the river, but I got some great footage before all that happened, though. My camera flew out of my hands and landed safely on the riverbank, so the tape didn't get messed up. I had a news intern with me, he got the tape fed back to the station. My camera was dinged a bit but not broken. The station had sent me down to North Carolina to get footage of the damage and flooding from Hurricane Fran." Kahva looked from Sheena to Billy, they both had strange expressions on their faces. "Why do you ask?"

Sheena shook her head. "That's typical of you. You could break your spine, but if you get a good shot, you don't care." Sheena moved nervously. "Umm... we need to talk."

Now it was Kahva's turn to be nervous. "Umm... why?" Sheena took a deep breath and everything came out in a rush.

"Because six months ago I had to leave the planet for a while, and Billy told everyone that I had a sick friend I was taking care of. I was gone for two months." Kahva was quiet for a few moments.

"Oh great, knock me into a raging flooded river so you can go to another planet! Gee, thanks," she teased.

"I'll take you to Eltar, that's where I went. I think you would like it there." Kahva digested that for a second, then shook her head as what Sheena had said sank in.

"Wait a minute... 'another planet'?"

Sheena smiled. "Yes, Eltar. My ancestors came from there, so did Billy's and the other Rangers. We really should go to the -"

"So this is really real, I'm really in the Power Chamber, and I really haven't lost my mind?"

"It's really real, you're really in the Power Chamber, and you really haven't lost your mind." Kahva considered all of this, then took a deep breath of her own. She was all business now.

"Ok, so how did I get here?" Billy moved over to her and sat on the other side of her, while Sheena leaned against a console. For the first time, the other Rangers got a good look at the female stranger. Tanya gasped and whispered to the others, "She's the one in Sheena's picture! She's K. B.' Who is she?"

"As soon as they remember we're here, Sheena will introduce us, I'm sure," Tommy chuckled softly. Billy was starting to tell what they had figured out.

"Alpha's readouts show that the portal which brought you here came from the Machine Skybase, but it was altered somehow." Billy checked a printout that Alpha handed him. He scanned the data, then nodded. "So from what we can tell, Mondo didn't want you to land on Earth, he wanted you two, or Kahva at least, on the Skybase."

"That makes sense," Daniel broke in. "What I remember is seeing a hole of some sort opening by Kahva, then it started pulling her in. It didn't pull on me until I tried to help her."

"Wait a minute. Mondo is real here too?" Kahva asked.

"You better believe it. More real than I personally want him to be." Sheena answered. Kahva whistled softly.

"I've seen on the show what he did, like when he blew Billy off course to the Power Chamber when he was coming back from Aquitar so he could capture him, and Billy ended up heading straight to the sun." Billy shivered at that memory.

"Please... that's not one of my fonder memories."

"But the Rangers were able to pull him back on course," Kahva continued. "But before all that, the Command Center blew up after the Rangers got the Zeo Crystal back together. Goldar and Rito had planted an implosion device for Zedd and Rita, and stole the Crystal while Tanya was in the Command Center with Alpha and Zordon. Now here's what I've always wanted to know: Why did you jump on that panel Billy? No one was really close to it, at least not on the show." Billy took his turn at being confused this time.

"What? That's not exactly how it happened, what are you talking about?"

Sheena laughed dryly, "Looks like some things are different between this world and the world we came from, Kahva."

"So, Billy didn't absorb a high amount of negative proton molecules that prevented him from taking the Gold Ranger powers?"

"Who was the science consultant on this show? I need to straighten out their science, sounds like," Billy laughed.

"Have they introduced me... uh... a Silver Ranger yet?" Sheena asked. Kahva didn't seem to hear her, she continued on, sorting out fact from fiction.

"And obviously you aren't aging rapidly Billy, and don't have to go to Aquitar, and then stay there because you're in love with Cestria."

"What!" Sheena exploded. She looked ready to bite something in half, like a steel bar.

"Cestria? Who's Cestria? And what's this about aging?" Billy asked.

"Well, when you used the power coins to reverse the effects of Master Vile's time warp, it caused some kind of instability or something, I don't remember exactly, and you started to age rapidly, you turned into an old man in a few hours. The Eternal Falls' or something like that on Aquitar was the only thing that could reverse the effect and cure you. Then you stayed on Aquitar to be with Cestria."

"The only person you better stay with is me, buddy!" Sheena warned half-jokingly.

"I don't remember too much about that episode, it was a two-parter. I hated it, because they didn't even get David Yost to say the lines at the end. They used old footage to set up the aging scene at the start of the show, and then the good-bye part at the end. They really should've hired you to write on the show, Sheena."

Sheena smiled and laughed. "Thanks, I've gotten better since I got here, too. And like you said, the aging thing hasn't happened. Billy's a Power Ranger again."

"Wait a minute," Kahva stared at Sheena. "In the show, there isn't a Silver Ranger, or a - what are you now, Billy? The Sapphire Ranger? That's the name that's been coming to me in my premonitions." Billy nodded yes. Sheena grinned at Kahva.

"The fans in our old world are missing out big time by not knowing about the Silver and Sapphire Rangers, I personally think. But then again, I'm biased," Sheena laughed.

"Well, right now most everybody is having fits, the Billy fans are having fits, anyway, because Billy isn't on the show anymore, and because the new Blue Turbo Power Ranger is supposed to be an eleven-year-old kid. That's the rumor on the Net, at least." Kahva was startled by the sound of other voices laughing, she hadn't been aware that there were other people in the room. "All - all the Billy fans are upset that he's not on the show anymore," she finished with a slight hesitancy.

"An eleven-year-old? Hey, Rocky, sounds like you're being replaced," Billy called over to the Blue Ranger. "And Turbo? What is that supposed to be? Race cars?"

"Well, umm, from what I saw on some web pages, they look like high powered go-carts to me. The Turbo powers are supposed to be the new powers," Kahva answered nervously, very aware of all the eyes on her now. All of the Rangers laughed at her statement about new powers.

"Nope, I think we're going to hang on to our current powers," Billy assured her.

Tommy walked over to Kahva and added, "Yeah, we've gotten used to these, I think. But we haven't been introduced to you yet. They've called you Kahva, but you're not the ghost we've met. I'm Tommy Oliver, the Red Zeo Power Ranger. But you probably know that from the TV show." Kahva hesitantly took his extended hand and shook it. If he didn't know better, Tommy would've sworn that the girl was scared of him.

"Kahva Briton. I don't know any ghosts, I'm sorry. Sheena?" Kahva pleaded. 

"Ok, let's make some introductions here," Sheena intervened. Quickly introductions were made all around, and Kahva finally began to relax a little again. Tommy watched the girl, she seemed very uncomfortable at being the center of attention. Sheena was hovering around the new arrival protectively, and Daniel hadn't let go of Kahva since he had sat down beside her. If anything, he seemed to be holding her even closer. Billy had picked up on her discomfort too, he was being as protective as Sheena. As he watched, Tommy found that all of the Rangers' protective streaks were showing, all of them wanted to make Kahva feel more at ease. Kahva finally managed to put more than two or three words together again, and asked Sheena how all of this had begun. Sheena was only too happy to fill her in. "Let's see, about fifteen thousand years ago..." Tommy smiled to himself. Sheena was giving the nutshell version of Kahva Kilanye, and how she had brought Sheena over to this dimension, then of her becoming the Silver Ranger, Billy's becoming the Sapphire Ranger and marrying Sheena all in the space of a little over twenty-four hours. She continued on, flying over the past year's events in an hour, and would've kept on going in her enthusiasm, but Kahva's eyes were starting to glaze over a bit, she was experiencing information overload. The look on her face said it all, I've just asked a _writer_ for a history lesson, and writers go big on details... bad move!' Billy jumped to her rescue.

"Okay, enough TV show comparisons, enough history, let's not drown her with too much at one time, sweetie. What we need to do right now is figure out how Mondo got Kahva and Daniel here, and why, based on what Daniel saw, Mondo is after her." Sheena went from happy reunion mode to serious team leader in less than a heartbeat.

"He must know that she's my best friend, maybe he wanted to use her as a hostage to get me back as his servant. He never can take no for an answer." The Rangers killed a few hours throwing out whys, hows and maybes. Kahva was completely silent during the discussion, she watched Sheena with a practiced eye, experienced from their years of friendship. She knew Sheena down to her core, and noticed Sheena's discomfort at the thought of Mondo wanting her to serve him again. _She's afraid not that it could happen, she's knows that's a risk just by being a Ranger. She's afraid that it WILL happen again, she's afraid of what Mondo will make her do. I've got to get her to talk it out, talk out the fear, or it just might happen... _Jason was remembering the photos Sheena had shown them that morning, and guessed that Mondo might have been spying on them at the Juice Bar.

"Good guess, but that that doesn't explain about the scans Mondo was doing, or why Cogs were at the old palace on the moon. Where does that fit in?"

OUR READOUTS INDICATE MONDO WAS SEARCHING FOR A SPECIFIC ENERGY SIGNATURE WITH HIS DIMENSIONAL SCANS, BUT EXACTLY WHAT THE SIGNATURE IS, OR WHY HE WAS TRYING TO FIND IT IS UNCLEAR. Kahva jumped as she heard Zordon speak for the first time. WE DO KNOW ONE THING, THOUGH. A FEW HOURS BEFORE KAHVA AND DANIEL WERE BROUGHT HERE, THE SCANS STOPPED. Zordon didn't go into any more detail than that. He didn't have proof of his suspicions, but he felt that Mondo wanted Kahva for another reason, not just because she was Sheena's best friend. He had watched her for the past few hours, she reminded him of Elysia in small, tiny ways. How she was being so quiet, except for when she seemed to forget that anyone else was there but Sheena. Her comment about having premonitions..._ ALACOR AND HIS FAMILY LINE SURVIVED. IS SHE OF HIS LINE? IS IT POSSIBLE?_

"So Mondo is after me, or both of us," Kahva shivered. "I want to go home."

"That's the other thing we have to figure out. How do we get you and Daniel back to where you belong?" Billy stated the question to no one in particular. "But if we don't find out why Mondo wants you, then you won't be safe anywhere but here, with us." Sheena pointed to Kahva's bags with a wry grin.

"Well, Daniel wasn't prepared for a trip, but you've got enough supplies for a while, looks like. We'll find some clothes for you Daniel, both of you need to stay here so Alpha can keep a check on you and make sure you've recovered from being pulled here. And we all need to get some sleep, has anyone stopped to realize it is dark outside now?" The Rangers glanced in surprise at their watches, they had been at it for a long time. They all said their good-byes to Kahva and Daniel before they left, all agreeing if Daniel and Kahva were up to it, they would meet at the Juice Bar the next day, in the early afternoon. As Daniel finally settled on one of the three examining tables, much to Alpha's relief, since he hadn't finished his scans of him, Sheena looked Kahva directly in her eyes. "Want to tell me what all of this is? Daniel mentioned you guys were backstage at the arena when you were taken, and said something about a contest he won. You don't need all of this for a simple shoot."

Kahva looked down at the floor for a long time, then back up at Sheena. "I was leaving Richmond. Leaving for good. Sheena, I couldn't handle it anymore, if I had just gotten to your place a few minutes earlier, I thought I could've stopped whatever had happened, I could've changed things somehow... I know now that you would've still been brought over here, but I always felt I lost you, it was my fault..." Sheena hugged her friend reassuringly.

"You didn't lose me, you never have. We've always been in each other's thoughts and hearts. Together forever, always and eternity' that's what we swore, remember? Anything that's happened to me is not your fault, you should never blame yourself for that. Promise?"

"Only on one condition."

"What's that?"

Now Kahva was the one looking stern. "You have to promise not to blame yourself for my being brought over here. I know you, Sheena Devereaux, and that's what you've been doing ever since you found me, blaming yourself, I can see it in your eyes. You can't control what Mondo does, or who he decides to go after. But you can fight him, you always have that option. Now, promise?" The two girls laughed as they finished lecturing each other. Kahva laid down to sleep, Alpha promised to call Sheena if anything happened during the night with either Daniel or Kahva. As Sheena drifted off to sleep, one thought nagged at her.

_If Mondo was looking for an energy signature, and Kahva matched it, then what is it? Why is it so important to him? Mother Goddess, please keep her and Daniel safe, I fear we haven't seen anything yet from Mondo..._

* * *

Sheena showered and dressed quickly that morning, she had tip-toed into the main chamber after she woke up to take a quick look at Kahva and Daniel. Both were asleep then, but as she entered now, she found that Daniel was up and moving about, Kahva was still asleep. Daniel looked a little worn out to Sheena. "Didn't sleep well?" she asked softly, not wanting to wake Kahva yet. Daniel looked at Kahva, then turned to speak with Sheena in hushed tones.

"She was having a really bad nightmare last night... I don't know if nightmare' even begins to describe it. She was mumbling about Cogs and needles, calling out your name, and woke up screaming three times. Alpha finally gave her a shot of some mild sedative after she went back to sleep that last time, I think maybe it helped. Alpha said she didn't scream or wake up again after that. Sheena," he paused, then started again. "I don't know what she's seeing in her dreams, but if she really has premonitions, and this is one of them, then something terrible is going to happen, and Kahva's terrified. And I think it's safe to say that you are in a lot of danger. She wouldn't tell me about the nightmare, see if you can get her to talk about it, please?" Sheena nodded as Billy and Tommy teleported in.

"Feeling ok this morning, Daniel?" Billy asked. Daniel nodded and stretched, he was still trying to work the kinks out of his back.

"Nothing that a hot shower and a good breakfast can't cure. I'm not dizzy anymore, that's the main thing." Tommy grinned at him.

"We can take care of that, no problem. Billy's mom and dad have already left his house, so we can get you in there for a shower and some fresh clothes. Jason, Billy and I are closest to your size, so we've brought some things over to Billy's place for you to try. As for breakfast, Mr. Trueheart has invited us over to his place at the reservation for breakfast. How he knew we had visitors I'll never know, I hadn't even told David yet. Mr. Trueheart just told him call me and send the invitation. We'll all be there, we're all invited." Daniel smiled and tried to stretch his back again, he still felt stiff.

"Sounds good to me."

"Me too, if we're all invited' includes we girls," Kahva's drowsy voice came from the other table. Daniel moved over to hug her as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Morning, I assume?"

"You assume correctly, Kahva. Did you finally get some sleep? Daniel said you were having bad dreams," Sheena asked, her concern showing plainly on her face. Kahva nodded, getting quiet as she looked at Tommy. She wasn't nervous like she'd been the night before, he thought, but still seemed a little wary around anyone other than Daniel, Billy or Sheena.

"I think I did, but I don't know if Daniel did. Every time I woke up, he was right there with me, Alpha too. Sorry I kept waking you up." Daniel smiled and ruffled her sleep-mussed hair.

"No problem, you can't help nightmares." He grunted and stretched again. "Man, I'm stiff, I -" he started to say something more, but stopped as Kahva started to massage his shoulders and neck, then worked down to his back. Tommy recognized the look of relief on his face, it was practically identical to Billy's when Sheena had massaged his neck after the Cog attack six months earlier, when they were dealing with the poison bonsai tree. Kahva was telling Daniel to breathe slowly, deeply and evenly, to empty his mind of everything. After about ten minutes she stopped, and Daniel smiled. "Wow, where'd you learn that? I feel great!"

Kahva shrugged. "During my college orientation, I went to a stress management seminar. They taught us a few massage and breathing techniques for relaxation. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? Girl, you taught me and I'm nowhere near as good as you. About the only thing I've never seen you be able to massage away is one of Todd's really bad migraines, and even those you could relieve to a big extent. Don't sell yourself so short!" Sheena told her. Billy smiled and moved over to Kahva.

"So you're the one I owe my undying gratitude to. Thanks for teaching Sheena," he said, placing a light kiss on her cheek. Kahva blushed a deep red, and stammered something about needing to shower and change. Alpha showed her where the showers to the personal quarters were, Sheena grabbed Kahva's overnight bag and followed her. When Sheena came back into the main chamber, Tommy was the only one left.

"Billy and Daniel went ahead, I wanted to make sure Kahva was okay before I left."

Sheena chuckled. "She'll be okay I think, she's just a bit overwhelmed by everything. Remember, I met you guys after I had been here a year, she and Daniel were hit with all of you within a few minutes." Tommy smiled at that.

"Point taken. Daniel seems to be more relaxed around us though. I guess Kahva's kinda shy?"

Sheena nodded in agreement. "She's always been quiet, ever since the first day we met. Once she's comfortable around you, then she'll open up more, she'll talk more. Even back then, back home, unless it was one of us, she was still quiet. I think it has something to do with being in the orphanage until she was eight years old. She wasn't adopted early on like I was, and when she finally went to the Britons, they were her foster parents to start with. They were able to adopt her when she was about ten, I think. But at the orphanage, from what little she's told me, she could rarely make friends, and it seemed that every time she did, they left. And none of the adults that worked there really got attached to the kids. Somewhere in there is still that little girl who's afraid she'll lose someone if she gets too close. That's my guess, she won't talk about the orphanage too much."

"She seems pretty attached to Daniel already. And fairly at ease around Billy, unless he kisses her again," Tommy smiled.

"She was talking to Daniel before they were yanked over here by Mondo. They've gone through a pretty traumatic event together, being attached' is only natural. Kahva also has a really strong protective streak in her, if she thinks a friend is in trouble, she'll do whatever she can to help them. She's doesn't like fighting, but if she has to, to defend a friend, she'll do whatever she can and then some. I'll have to tell you about how she stood up to a bully at the roller rink sometime. As for Billy, he's my fiancé, and I'm here, so she feels safe around him. My being here makes her feel safe, or safer, at least, around all of you. More secure and sure of herself, you know?" Sheena grinned and gave a short laugh. "She's got a sharp sense of humor too, if she relaxes enough, you'll see it. You've already seen her tease me, when she didn't realize you guys were here. Hey, you'd better go before the guys wonder what happened to you. We'll meet you at the reservation." Tommy teleported away, and a few minutes later, Kahva entered the main chamber showered, dressed, and looking like she felt a bit better. "Feel human again?"

"Maybe close, anyway. I do feel better, the dizziness yesterday wasn't fun. Neither were the nightmares last night. I feel so bad, Daniel probably didn't get any sleep at all with me screaming. I really need to apologize to him." Sheena hugged Kahva reassuringly.

"He understands, trust me. He seems to be kinda sweet on you. I like him." Kahva smiled at that, it was obvious that she liked him too. "Kahva, before we go, do you want to tell me about the nightmare? Or should I say premonition? It's got you spooked, maybe talking about it will help." Kahva stared at the floor for the longest time, and as Sheena thought maybe Kahva wasn't going to say anything at all, the frightening vision poured out in a rush. After a few minutes, even Sheena was shivering.

"Now that I'm here, I don't know if I was seeing Billy and myself, or Billy and you, but promise me you'll be careful Sheena. I've just found you, I can't lose you now. Promise me, please?" she begged her. Sheena nodded her promise, then they left for the reservation in the Rad Bug to meet the others. Through the morning meal, Sheena pulled the other Rangers over one by one and quietly told them of Kahva's premonition. No one could say for sure whether it could come true or not, but Kahva had seen' Sheena and Billy in the Power Chamber six months earlier... They all agreed that what she'd dreamed couldn't be ignored. Until they found out why Mondo had brought her and Daniel over, anything was possible, and one thing was clear: Kahva and Daniel couldn't be allowed to go anywhere without at least one Ranger with them. Kahva and Daniel agreed to that readily, and when everyone left, Kahva went with Sheena, while Daniel decided to go with Billy. As Sheena and Kahva took the Rad Bug again so Sheena could show her the cabin, Kahva shivered uncontrollably for a few moments. "Someone's been watching us, ever since we left the Power Chamber, I can feel it, Sheena. It's _him,_ he's been watching us all morning. It's Mondo, I can feel his eyes."

* * *

Shifter watched from the shadows as the Rangers went their separate ways, his master had sent him down as soon as the Skybase's sensors had shown that Kahva was out of the Power Chamber. All he had to do was wait for the right moment to lure her away... There was one problem, however. The Rangers weren't about to let her out of their sight, or the young man who had been brought over with her, either. And Shifter was certain that Kahva would only go somewhere willingly with a Ranger. He hoped when the moment was right, he could lure away the Sapphire Ranger as well, Mondo wanted him as extra insurance. But which was which, that was the question.

"Come on you idiot humans, go somewhere where I can get her," he urged as he followed Sheena and Kahva to a wooded area, but then lost sight of the Rad Bug. He teleported to the Juice Bar, Klank had contacted him to tell him the others were heading over there. He posed as a police officer at first, so no one would question his being there, watching as they arrived in intervals, carefully trying to keep track of who was there. He soon had to give up that guise and hide in the bushes, too many people were asking him for directions and other stupid questions. His patience was finally rewarded as he saw the Silver Ranger and Kahva driving up to the building, then entering a few moments later. "That means they are all there, except for two Rangers, and the human Daniel, I didn't see him enter. I'd better wait and make sure, I can't afford to make a mistake now." He'd been traipsing after these humans since morning, now it was early afternoon and he was close to being able to make his move, he was certain of it. Some minutes later the Pink Ranger and a human that Shifter knew was the Red Ranger's brother, David Trueheart, arrived. That left one Ranger and Daniel not there, according to his count, if he hadn't missed anyone. "I'll wait a few more minutes, then lure her away. She won't know the danger she's in until it's too late." Shifter took the human form he needed to carry out his mission. "Prepare to serve my master, Kahva Briton. It is only a matter of time."

* * *

Tommy was already in his customary red gi when Sheena and Kahva arrived at the Juice Bar, eager to show what he'd learned of _ki-see_ to the others. Sheena only needed a couple of minutes to change into her gi and promptly put her first pupil through a series of warm-ups before she would allow Tommy to demonstrate his first basic _ki-see_ kata. They had already attracted a bit of attention out in the gym area, for normally it was Tommy teaching someone in martial arts, not the other way around. Tommy took off the top of his gi, sweat already shining on his bare chest. All the young people stood off to the side of the mat as Sheena motioned for Tommy to begin. His movements started out slow, a bit hesitant, but fluid. As he fell into the kata his movements grew faster, more intricate. His hair came loose from its ponytail, but Tommy didn't seem to notice as one move flowed into the other.

Kat and David walked into the Juice Bar and noticed that there didn't seem to be the usual amount of conversation in the building. "Wonder what's going on?" Kat asked David.

David's eyebrows shot up as he answered in awe, "My brother, I think." Kat followed David's gaze out onto the practice mat and saw what everyone in the Juice Bar and gym area were watching. Tommy whirled, bent, swayed and jumped in ways that seemed impossible, his hair flying wild and free, sweat glistening on his chest and shoulders. His movements were incredible, exquisite, powerful and beautiful. He seemed to virtually fly across the mat, if he was touching it, Kat couldn't tell. Watching him was taking her breath away.

"Oh my stars, he's beautiful," a female voice breathlessly whispered just to Kat's left. She turned and saw Stephanie, the petite blonde from some of Rocky's classes staring at Tommy, drinking him in with her grey eyes. She tilted her head, as if a sudden thought hit her, and then she smiled with satisfaction. Kat was startled at her reaction, until a quick glance around revealed that nearly every single female with a clear view of Tommy was in the same condition. As Tommy's kata ended, there was applause from all of his unexpected audience. David ran over to congratulate his brother, Kat right on his heels.

"Bro, that was incredible! Think I can learn one day?"

Tommy chuckled as he caught the towel Jason tossed him. "It's not easy, that was a beginner's kata." Tommy's smile faded a bit as Kat walked up with fire in her eyes.

She sharply tugged his hair and hissed only loud enough for their friends to hear, "Just what do you think you're doing Thomas Oliver!"

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"As if you didn't know! How could you do that?" Kat stalked off in a huff out of the gym, leaving a bewildered Tommy in her wake.

"What did I do?" Tommy was stunned, Kat had never acted like that before. "What did I do?"

Billy nearly jumped out of his skin as Kahva moved from his side. She had been quiet all morning at the reservation, not saying much to anyone, and after she and Sheena had arrived, Kahva had taken a place in the corner slightly behind him and had silently watched everyone. She'd been so inconspicuous, he had honestly forgotten she was there. Now however, a quirky little grin replaced the shy expression she'd been wearing earlier. Billy stole a quick glance at Sheena, she had a rather expectant look on her face.

Tommy jumped nearly as much as Billy had as he turned and suddenly found himself looking at Kahva, who'd soundlessly walked over to him. "Tommy," she calmly said, her quirky grin still firmly in place, "you're an absolutely gorgeous, athletic young man who just finished a rather alluring kata. You're sweating, your hair is flying wild and free, nearly every single female here is devouring you with their eyes, and you have to ask what you did?" David was leaning against the wall for support, snickering, the other guys were about to lose their poker faces as well. "Let me put it more simply. You are a prime cut of steak, perfectly prepared for consumption, being waved in front of a pack of ravenous she-wolves. It's a wonder you haven't been mauled." Kahva started to head for a table in the Juice Bar, but abruptly turned and lifted Tommy's hair, apparently examining his neck. "Hmm, no teethmarks, you haven't been chewed on. I think we can still serve you to the public." Tommy's jaw nearly hit the floor as she calmly walked over to a table. Daniel stumbled over to join her, laughing all the way. David couldn't stand anymore, he sat down hard on the floor, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. The other guys weren't much better off, leaning against each other or anything else that could support them. Sheena chuckled and draped a reassuring arm about Tommy's shoulders.

"I thought she was supposed to be the quiet one?" Tommy asked, having been stunned by two young women now.

"I warned you her sense of humor was sharp."

"I would call it a bit wicked, myself," Billy grinned as he moved over to Sheena's side. "I think I could get used to it." Sheena smiled broadly, it was good to see Kahva coming out of her shell around her friends.

"She does have a point, Tommy. You are quite attractive out here, half-dressed and sweaty," Sheena teased. Billy playfully covered Sheena's eyes.

"Hey, you're only supposed to notice _me_ like that! Tommy, put some clothes on, please!" Tommy shook his head ruefully as David managed to pull himself together enough to toss him the top of his gi.

"I guess I'd better go find her and get this straightened out. Billy, did you see where she went?"

"I'll help you find her man. We can't have you in the hot seat too long, come on." Billy and Tommy left to find Kat, while Rocky and Jason took the mat to start their karate sparring match.

After a few minutes of searching, Billy waved Tommy over. "There she is, at the end of the building." Tommy moved to go to her, but stopped when he realized that Billy wasn't moving.

"You're not coming with me?"

"What, and get caught in the crossfire? I know better than that. I'll wait here for you guys, this is something you need to work out between yourselves."

Tommy walked over to Kat quietly, almost put his hand on her shoulder, but thought better of it. "Kat?" When she didn't answer him, Tommy decided to forge ahead. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you mad or jealous, I didn't know I had a bunch of hungry she-wolves wanting to eat me alive out there." Kat turned to him with an arched eyebrow. "Kahva roasted me pretty well with her wit. I think I'm well-done now. Look, seriously, I didn't know, I still don't know what anybody did while I was in the kata. When you're really concentrating, in the ki-see trance, as Sheena calls it, you're not really aware of what's around you as you practice the moves and hear the litany in your head. All I was doing was trying to do my best in the kata, that's all, honest! Forgive me, please? For whatever I did? I won't do it again," he pleaded with her hopefully. Kat tried to look stern, but couldn't.

"Oh, you know I can't stay mad at you, Tommy," she relented. "But when I saw how all the girls, especially Stephanie, were looking at you... I guess I got jealous. I should've known better. If you forgive me, I'll forgive you - on one condition."

"Done! What is it, anything?"

"Don't you ever practice anything more than your basic beginner's _ki-see_ kata out there."

"That _was_ a beginner's kata."

"Then if you ever do it in there again, you'll do it in a snowsuit and floor-length parka, not shirtless."

"How about if I only practice _ki-see_ at the Power Chamber, in the workout room?"

"Even better." Kat and Tommy kissed for a long time, then broke apart as they heard someone walking up, it was Adam. "I think we'd better go back inside now, before they think I've run you through a meat grinder," Kat suggested.

"Hey guys! Meat grinder?" Adam asked as they went to join Billy and head back into the gym. Tommy told Adam a little of what had happened, then Billy told Kat and Adam what Kahva had said. After they'd recovered a bit from laughing, and Tommy had stopped blushing, Adam gasped, "_Kahva_ said that? I thought she was the quiet one."

"She's quiet, yes, but her humor is deadly," Tommy admitted.

"I think I'm really going to like her," Kat smiled. "I'm going to miss her and Daniel when they go home." The others nodded in agreement as they entered the gym.

* * *

Daniel was sitting by Kahva's side as he watched Billy and Tommy leave. "I guess they're going to find Kat so Tommy can beg for forgiveness," he chuckled. "You have got one wicked sense of humor, girl. I never would've guessed it. I suppose there are a lot of things I have to learn about you."

"It's not like I know everything about you either, Daniel," Kahva blushed. She turned and looked at the door. "Where's Adam? I haven't seen him yet."

"Changing the subject, are we? All right, I won't press. Adam had a class, then he was coming straight over here. I think they've all got spring break coming up by the end of the week." Kahva nodded and stared into her drink that Ernie had brought over. She'd hardly touched it, while Daniel had already gone through half of his.

"That'll be good, Sheena and Billy won't have to rush back from their honeymoon. Sheena said they're getting married for real' this Saturday. They make a really nice couple." Daniel gently placed his hand over hers so she would look at him.

"Kahva? You really are shy around people, aren't you? When you're around Sheena, you're more talkative, as long as you don't remember there's anyone else around. You're more relaxed around me than the other guys, I guess that's because of what happened... Kahva? Is it so hard for you to let someone get to know you? I want to be your friend, not just because we've been yanked to another world together, but because I like you, and I hope you like me. I'd like for us to be more than friends one day, if you want to. But I won't press, I don't want to scare you. I want you to feel safe with me, I want you to know I'm your friend." _And that I find I can't get you out of my mind or heart, _he mentally added.

Kahva smiled at Daniel, she felt at ease him, he was so nice. She wondered at herself, she'd never felt so relaxed this quickly with a guy before, why was it happening now? Part of her still wanted to hide her soul from him, but she found she couldn't, and she answered him in spite of herself.

"I've always had a hard time making friends, I guess. I've never been comfortable being around a lot of people, not when I'm supposed to be talking to everybody, anyway. Growing up at the orphanage, I was always the girl who nobody knew who I was, where I was from, where I belonged. Having a first name like Kahva, then the state-assigned last name of Smith didn't help any. I was either picked on because of my first name when I was little, or people had a hard time saying it and then they would look at me funny. I don't know, I guess it was just easier to let people ignore me. Most everyone at the orphanage was certainly good at doing that." Kahva sighed and smiled. "Sheena really is my soul-sister, you know, it's not something we say because it sounds cute. She made high school survivable for me. She and our group of friends. With them, I finally felt like I had a place where I belonged... I guess what I'm trying to say, and not doing a very good job of it, is that I need some time. I'm not used to getting attention, especially from a guy. But I'd really like to get to know you better too. And," she smiled, "I wouldn't mind it one bit if we became more than friends. I'd like that, I think." Anything else that might have been said was interrupted by Adam's arrival at their table. "Hey, you two."

"Hi, Adam. We were beginning to wonder where you were," she answered. "Daniel said you had a class?" Adam seemed puzzled by that.

"Uh, yeah, right. Well, I'm here now." He cast a look around the room, then in a hushed voice announced, "There's something I need to show you Kahva, you too," he motioned to Daniel. "It isn't far from here, let's go."

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Kahva asked, looking back at Sheena. Adam shook his head, he was already moving towards the exit.

"They'll meet us there in a few minutes, but right now you two need to see this first." Daniel shrugged and got up to follow Adam, Kahva stood a second later, but something felt a little weird. She picked up her unfinished drink, and Daniel's empty glass.

"I'll be right with you, let me take these back," she told them. Adam seemed impatient, but nodded. Kahva went over to the counter and motioned to Ernie. The portly man smiled broadly and came over to her and took the glasses. "Umm, Ernie, right? I'm Kahva, one of Sheena's friends. Please, when they get through down there with the sparring, could you tell Sheena that Daniel and I left with Adam? I think we're going to the park so he can show us something." Ernie promised and she thanked him, then Kahva joined Daniel and an agitated Adam, who was shifting from one foot to the other. They left the Juice Bar and as Kahva had guessed, they were heading in the direction of the park. Something still felt off, the sensation of cold eyes on her she'd had all day was even stronger than before. "So what's so important that we couldn't wait for the others?" she inquired, hoping to get some kind of answer from Adam.

"You'll see, we're almost there," he replied a tad coldly. A few minutes later they were indeed in the park, a group of Boy and Girl Scouts were doing a joint cleanup project. There was even a TV news crew covering them. Kahva could've sworn she saw Adam's upper lip curl in a silent snarl for a second, but then it was gone and they were past the kids. Not only was Adam's attitude bothering her, she had an eerie sense of d,j. vu, she had seen all this before, she thought. Kahva wished there had been a couple of spare communicators at the Power Chamber that she and Daniel could have borrowed, she really wanted to call Sheena... communicators... Kahva tugged on Daniel's arm and put her finger to her lips to keep him quiet. She held him until Adam was several feet ahead of them.

"We have to get back to the Juice Bar, this isn't right," she whispered. "We've gotta get out of here, now." Daniel gave her a confused look, but whispered also.

"What do you mean, we're here with Adam, everything's okay, and if anything happens, he can call the other Rangers -"

"If he's Adam Park, the Green Zeo Power Ranger, then where is his communicator? He was wearing it this morning." Daniel looked as Kahva pointed to Adam's left wrist, it was bare.

"Maybe he lost it?"

"Possibly, but if he did, would he risk taking us away from the others, without a way to call for backup? I don't think so. Add that to his not seeming to know what I was talking about when I asked about his class... do the math, something's off here." Kahva looked at Adam, he was still walking away, unaware they weren't following him. "Daniel, I've seen this part of the park before... " Kahva stopped as it hit her what was going to happen. "Daniel! This is where the attack against Billy and me, or Billy and Sheena happened in my premonition. But it's not them, _it's us_. We're the ones who are going to be attacked!" Kahva yanked Daniel back the way they had come, he needed no further urging.

"Going somewhere, child?" Kahva let out a little scream as suddenly Adam was right in front of them. "Mondo wouldn't like it if you refused his invitation to see him in the Skybase." Cogs began to appear all around them, cutting off any avenue of escape. "You have something he wants, my dear, and he's waiting for you to come and be his slave."

"She's not going anywhere with you, whoever you are!" Daniel declared. The fake Adam laughed coldly at him.

"As if you can stop us. You've lost, why don't you just come along peacefully, that way she won't get hurt," he hissed, his eyes now glowing red as he scowled at them. The Cogs were closing in on them.

Kahva warily watched the Cogs. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about fighting, would you?" she asked Daniel hopefully.

"I played an amateur boxer in a play at college, that's about it."

"And I don't think my one or two self-defense judo moves are going to be of much help, but it's all we've got. Consider this an acting exercise and improvise, we've got to buy time until the Rangers can get here," she told him. _Sheena, we need you! Mondo's goons are after us! _ Kahva yelled mentally, desperately hoping for a miracle.

Then as one, the Cogs attacked.

_SHEENA!_

* * *

Sheena and Tanya were about to start their karate sparring match when Sheena suddenly reeled and staggered. Billy, Tommy, Adam and Kat entered in time to see Tanya steadying Sheena and leading her to a nearby bench. "Whoa, girl, you okay?" Tanya asked. Sheena shook her head and gave Billy a puzzled look as he sat beside her.

"That wasn't you who yelled, I don't think. I'm pretty sure I heard something."

"What? I'm right here, why would I yell... you mean our link? No, I didn't even whisper, what's wrong?" Sheena frowned, and looked around the room, searching for someone.

"I didn't think it was you, it sounded like a female voice, it sounded like Kahva, I think. But I've never heard her voice in my mind before." Sheena stood, she was steady now. "Where are Kahva and Daniel?" Eight pairs of eyes scanned the Juice Bar and the gym area, the newcomers were nowhere in sight. "Come on, maybe Ernie saw them leave."

"Why would they leave? They're not supposed to go anywhere without one of us." 

"That what I'm afraid to find out, Jason. That voice, if it was Kahva's, was scared, and in trouble. David, could you stay here in case they come back?" Her cousin nodded and the Rangers went to the counter to talk to Ernie. "Hey Ernie? Have you seen Kahva and Daniel? They came in with us, Kahva looks kinda a lot like me, and Daniel is practically a clone of Billy." Ernie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she said to tell you they left with Adam, she thought they were going to the park, he had something to show them." All eyes turned to Adam then, who quickly covered his surprise.

"Umm, yeah, but we got separated, I'd hoped they would come back here."

"Haven't seen them, but I'll tell them to wait for you guys if they show up."

"Thanks, Ernie," Adam replied, then they exited the Juice Bar and immediately went behind the building, out of sight. "Guys, I don't know what's going on. I just got here and the first ones I saw were Tommy and Kat, then Billy. I haven't seen Kahva or Daniel since breakfast at the reservation this morning." Sheena's face showed a flash of fear, then went hard as she called the Power Chamber.

"Alpha, Zordon, this is Sheena. Can you pick up Kahva or Daniel on the sensors?" There was a pause before Alpha answered.

"I can't pick them up, Sheena, I can barely lock in on your communicators. Something is scrambling our sensors," came Alpha worried reply. Sheena felt her heart stop.

"Alpha, teleport us to the park and keep trying to find them, something's very wrong. Sheena out." A second later, eight beams of colored light left from behind the Juice Bar and flew over to the park. The Rangers materialized behind some bushes, as they stepped out on the nearby path, they spotted a group of Boy and Girl Scouts working on a park cleanup project. Sheena motioned to one of the leaders and asked if they had seen Kahva or Daniel. He pointed down the path, it led to a rarely visited area of the park. As the eight young people vanished down the path, the news reporter who had been covering the Scouts spotted them.

"Hey Carl, wasn't that Billy Cranston and his fiancée; with their friends?"

"I don't know, why?" The ambitious blonde woman frowned at him in irritation.

"Don't you pay attention to the news? You work in news, for Pete's sake! Billy Cranston is the whiz kid who about a year and a half ago or so, was personally invited to go to the planet the Alien Rangers are from, surely you remember them? He was interviewed when he got back, NASA wanted to recruit him... if I could score an interview with him now, just before he gets married, I'll make network for sure! Come on, let's see if we can catch up with them."

* * *

Kahva was doing a little better than she thought she would against the Cogs. Very little, she thought as she tried to avoid the grasp of another Cog. She had actually managed to flip the first two that tried to catch her, but the element of surprise was no longer hers. Daniel had imitated her move and flipped a couple of Cogs himself, but they were ganging up on both of them now, Kahva and Daniel were badly outnumbered and overmatched. "Leave us alone, creeps!" she yelled as she tripped one Cog who was trying to sneak up on Daniel. Impossibly strong arms wrapped around her from behind as Adam caught her, firmly pinning her arms to her sides. "Daniel, run! Get away from here!" she found herself yelling for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. "Leave him alone, he can't help you!"

"On the contrary, he's another bargaining chip for my master, King Mondo," Adam hissed loudly in her ear. "Sheena will do just what Mondo wants to save her best friend and husband's miserable lives. Meanwhile, Mondo will carry out his plans for you, and then the Rangers won't know what hit them!" he gloated. Kahva and Daniel exchanged wide-eyed looks as they realized Adam thought Daniel was Billy.

"I'm not -" Daniel was tackled by three Cogs.

"Tie and gag him!" Adam ordered. Kahva squirmed frantically in the impostor's arms, but he held her even tighter. She was helpless to stop the Cogs from binding and gagging Daniel.

"He's not Billy!" she cried as they roughly hauled him to his feet. Adam laughed coldly.

"You expect me to believe that? I know who went into the building and who didn't. Now, it's time for you to pay an overdue visit to the Machine Skybase." He turned as running footsteps sounded on the path.

"Let them go - Adam!" Sheena shouted, not believing her eyes. They were all speechless at the sight of another Adam holding Kahva prisoner. He laughed cruelly at the confused Rangers, the Cogs were dragging Daniel over to him. "Silv -" Sheena stopped herself as she heard footsteps and voices behind them. She risked a look behind her, the reporter and photographer who'd been covering the Scouts were running up the path, the photographer readying his camera to shoot on the run. Sheena turned back to the Cogs and the second Adam and gasped. The impostor shifted from Adam's form to a grey humanoid shape, the only facial features present being his fiery, blood-red eyes. "We can't morph, there's witnesses," she hissed, placing a hand on Tommy's arm, he had started to move for his Zeonizer. "I said, let them go!" she shouted. The panicked look on Kahva's face struck terror into Sheena's heart. Kahva tried to call out to them, but the monster roughly clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cry.

"King Mondo claims Billy Cranston and this woman as his prizes!" With that, the grey creature and the Cogs teleported away with Kahva and Daniel. Billy looked at the others in shock, the news crew running up in time to hear him say, "He thinks he's got me. He thinks Daniel is me." The reporter shoved her microphone in Billy's face as a small crowd started to gather, people who were previously enjoying the park had been attracted by the commotion.

"Mr. Cranston, two people were just kidnapped by King Mondo's men, and they seemed to be after you. In fact, they seem to think they have you, do you have any comment? Why is King Mondo after you?" Billy hugged Sheena tightly to him, all eight friends and teammates were pale and shaken. A police siren cut through the air, someone had called the law. Two officers ran up as more sirens were heard.

"That's what I'd like to know, miss. That's what we all want to know."

* * *

Kahva fought back a wave of nausea and fear as the teleportation ended as abruptly as it had begun. She and Daniel were in a strange, oddly lit, gear-filled room. An over-sized raised dais was in the center of the room, commanding her attention immediately. Kahva was certain that was its purpose, to terrify and intimidate anyone called in to face its owner. _ It's working, _she thought as she tried to turn her head to see where Daniel was. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him standing between two Cogs a few feet away, his hands bound tightly behind his back, a dirty gag still firmly in place, keeping him from speaking. The monster turned to acknowledge someone entering the room, and Kahva caught sight of a lop-sided machine whirring near the throne, a purplish glow emanating from its center. She stared hard at it, and thought the glow had a funnel-like shape near the center. _ Wonder if that's what brought us here? _A grinding chortle drew her attention to a large, lumbering mechanical man with a whirling crown atop his head. His facial features were cold and hard, and only slightly moveable. His eyes were sharp and cold, Kahva shivered as he looked her up and down, appraising her._ Mondo, the Machine King. _Her insides turned to ice as the evil overlord who before now had only been a buffoonish character on TV, was suddenly very real, taller than she'd ever imagined, and far more sinister-looking. She couldn't turn her head to see Daniel's reaction, the impostor held her head too firmly, but she could hear him gasp through his gag. Mondo motioned for the monster to take his hand away from her mouth, and finally her head was free.

"Sire, I have brought the girl as you commanded, and I was also able to capture Billy, he was with her. I had the Cogs gag him so he couldn't call upon his power," Kahva's captor announced proudly. The Machine King grunted his approval and moved closer to them.

Mondo grabbed Kahva's chin painfully and pulled her face forward to make sure he had her undivided attention. "You have caused me a great deal of trouble my dear, but you are finally where you belong, in my Skybase, and you are about to become my slave forever!" he bellowed, finally releasing her. The impostor had both of his arms tightly wrapped around her now, so she couldn't hit Mondo with her fists like she wanted to. She lashed out with a wild kick, but the creature pulled her away from Mondo.

"I'll cause you even more trouble if you don't let us go!" she shouted, trying to sound braver than she felt. She hoped the creature holding her couldn't tell how badly she was trembling. Mondo merely laughed and crossed over to Daniel.

"Yes, Shifter, I see you have brought me the brains of the Power Rangers, they will be unable to - Shifter!" he yelled as he peered closely into Daniel's face. He yanked the gag off and roughly moved Daniel's head from side to side. "Shifter! I told you to get the Sapphire Ranger, not the weakling human who came here with the child! You grabbed the wrong one! Stupid idiot!" he snapped, cuffing Shifter on the side of his head where an ear would've been, were he human. Kahva caught the rest of the hit as Mondo's hand grazed her shoulder, she was glad it was only a glancing blow. If he'd struck her directly, he might've dislocated her shoulder, she thought. Daniel coughed and managed to speak.

"If you hadn't been so busy gagging me, or if you had listened to Kahva, you would've known that. Now how about letting us go, we can't help you." Mondo merely turned and laughed in Kahva's face, ignoring Daniel's request. Foul-smelling exhaust blew in her face as he wheezed in anticipation.

"You seriously need a breath mint, you walking junkyard," she coughed. Mondo continued to laugh as he strode to his throne and noisily sat upon it.

"She has spirit, too bad that will be gone once she's mine. Take them to the dungeon and tell Klank my future slave is ready to be converted." Daniel and Kahva tried to resist their captors, but their efforts were in vain. They found themselves being half-carried, half-dragged through the bowels of the Skybase for what seemed like an eternity until they arrived in a cold, dimly lit room with a cell on one side. The air was filled with the scent of burnt oil and smoke. Kahva and Daniel were carelessly tossed in to the cell, the door clanging shut loudly behind them. Kahva pulled herself off of the hard, icy floor and made her way to Daniel. It took a while, but she finally had his bonds undone. He flexed his hands and arms, then hugged her to him.

"Are you all right?" he asked. She nodded, too cold and scared to do much else at the moment. He rubbed her arms to help keep her warm and looked around their cell. "I hope the Rangers can find a way to get us out of here soon." He looked down at her, Mondo had called her child', and at that moment she did seem like a scared child. But she was doing her best to clamp down on her fear. "That thing that looked like Adam - Shifter, he called it? He said you had something Mondo wanted, what was he talking about?" Kahva shook her head, but a familiar voice sounded before she could answer.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Sheena!" Daniel shouted. He got to his feet and ran to the cell door. Kahva stood up as well, but hung back, there was something odd in Sheena's voice. "I knew you guys would get us out of here! Look out for that thing that looked like Adam, he's tricky. Sheena smiled strangely and opened the door, moving to Kahva's side.

"Oh really? I'll take that as a compliment." Sheena's form blurred away and was replaced by Shifter's in an instant. The next second he shoved Daniel away and grabbed Kahva, dragging her out of the cell. He sprayed gas from a small canister concealed in his hand and she sank against him, unconscious. Shifter sprayed the gas in Daniel's direction and slammed the cell door, locking him in. The last thing Daniel saw was the monster carrying Kahva away, then the room went black...

* * *

When Kahva started to wake up, she saw that she was being carried into a lab of some sort. As her senses cleared, she found herself being strapped securely to a cold metallic table. Her arms were pulled out slightly to either side, turned palm up and fastened tightly. Her head was strapped in place, she couldn't see anything but the ceiling. The bonds bit painfully into her body, there was no slack whatsoever. A mechanical voice with a bad Scottish accent spoke from somewhere at the foot of the table. "Ah, lassie, yer finally here to fulfill yer destiny and serve King Mondo. You shall make a fine addition to his forces, and you will be the one to bring down your friend Sheena, and the Rangers. How do you like that?" The table was then tilted up at an angle, enabling her to see who was speaking. He had his back to her, but she recognized him from the show also, it was Klank.

Her voice shook as she tried to sound as brave as she thought Sheena would in this situation. "I'll never serve Mondo or evil, tin man! And the Rangers will beat you!" She gasped as he turned and chuckled. He had in his hands the largest, ugliest, nastiest needle she'd ever seen in her life, it had to be over a foot long, and the business end of it nearly made her faint. Where normal needles were fine and sharp, this one was almost the thickness of a string and the tip was rounded. Before she could scream, he jammed it into her right arm and began to draw blood. The pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt before, it was like someone had stabbed her with a thin steel rod, and essentially that was what was happening, some part of her brain reminded her through the torment. She was deathly afraid of needles, she'd never liked getting shots, but this was pushing her fear to near phobic proportions. The needle jerked roughly out of her arm and Klank seemed satisfied with himself.

"I'm going to run some tests on this special blood of yours, we must make sure that you cannot break from the hold of the potion, lassie. You will use your powers to serve Mondo forever, it is useless to resist. You might as well accept your fate." Kahva had no sense of time, it could've been minutes or hours she laid strapped to the table, held immobile by the cruel straps. She recognized the room, it was the same one from her premonitions. That in and of itself gave her hope, for in the premonitions, Klank had said the potion wouldn't work. _I hope that part is true, but what happened after, I can't remember... _Kahva heard Klank shuffling about and tried to see what he was doing.

"Your potion won't work on me Klank," she gambled feebly. Whether her weakness was from the gas or the loss of blood or both, she didn't know. She couldn't even muster the strength to attempt to strain against her bonds. Klank grunted in surprise as he moved out of her line of sight.

"How did you know... never mind. It just means I'll have to conduct _more_ tests on you," he answered her challenge with an odd trace of glee in his voice. She heard a rattling sound coming closer to her left. As the source came into view, she could see a large rolling cart overloaded with needles, tubes, extension arms and other things she couldn't identify, even if she wanted to. As Klank approached her left arm this time with the oversized needle he'd used before, her premonition of the lab tests flooded back to her, every single part. Before Klank finished lowering the table back to its normal horizontal position, Kahva fainted dead away.

* * *

Sheena paced nervously across the kitchen. It had taken a little while before the Rangers could leave the park, the reporter had been rather persistent and annoying. The arrival of the police had made the encounter with her mercifully brief, but the police wanted answers also, at the station. There were none they could give, and after an hour the police told them all to go home, they would keep an eye out for their friends, but that the only real hope of rescue for their friends was the Power Rangers. Billy's mom and dad had been contacted by the police and had arrived at the police station by that time. Billy and Sheena had to leave with them to avoid any suspicion, while the others went to the Juice Bar to let David know about the abduction.

"They're all at the Power Chamber by now and we're stuck here," she muttered to herself. Several of Billy's relatives and many family friends had come to the house to see if Billy and Sheena were okay, meanwhile, Billy's dad didn't want to let the couple out of the house. The kitchen had become Sheena's refuge for the past three hours while the Cranstons and Billy reassured the various relatives and family friends, and also dealt with several annoying phone calls from the media. Sheena turned at the sound of footsteps entering the kitchen, Billy and his mother came in through the swinging door. Billy moved to hug Sheena, while his mom took her hands.

"Are you ok, dear?" Her concern showed plainly, Mrs. Cranston had been trying so hard to make Billy and Sheena feel better that night, she had intercepted many of the concerned visitors before they tried to talk to Sheena or Billy, or she had mercifully drawn them away to give the two young people some peace.

"I won't be okay until we get Kahva and Daniel back. This is so frustrating, not knowing what's going on, what's going to happen..." Sheena stopped herself before she said too much. "We just have to wait for the Power Rangers to find them, I guess. Mrs. Cranston smiled and patted Sheena's hand, then went to the door and opened it a tiny bit. No one was near the kitchen entrance, so she softly shut the door again, and crossed back to Sheena and Billy, speaking in hushed tones.

"How soon do you two need to meet up with the other Rangers? I know this can't be easy for you. You have had do deal with everyone here, instead of going after Mondo." Billy and Sheena stared at her open-mouthed, but Mrs. Cranston shushed them before they could deny anything. "I've known for about three years now that you had something to do with the Power Rangers, Billy. I walked into your lab to call you in for supper one time and saw you disappear in a flash of light. There was a report that night on TV showing the Power Rangers, and when they left after the fight was over, they vanished in flashes of light too, just like the one I saw you disappear in. That, and shortly afterwards I found an old newspaper that your great-great grandfather had saved. It mentioned something about strange grey men' who had terrorized the town. There was also a sketch stuck in it, done by a fellow named Abraham' that showed some young people with a girl who looked like your friend Kimberly Hart. There was a note on the back, asking if your great-great grandfather thought they might have to fight those grey men' again. So I had my suspicions." Mrs. Cranston smiled at her son. "I knew for sure though, when your watches beeped on that first night Sheena came over. After you two were just out of my sight, I saw two flashes of light take off. The Silver Ranger is female, and the second newest Ranger, so I'm assuming that's you, Sheena. The newest Ranger is the Sapphire Ranger, and his uniform is a dark blue, the other light I saw was dark blue, so I believe Billy here is the Sapphire Ranger. Don't worry, dear, your dad doesn't know a thing, I haven't told him. I figured if you hadn't told us anything by now, there must have been a good reason."

Billy could only shake his head and chuckle quietly. "Mom, you're amazing. But why are you telling us all this now?" Mrs. Cranston put a hand on both their shoulders.

"Because you two have a job to do, and friends to save. I can't go out there and fight your battles for you, as much as I would like to, so I'm going to do the only thing I can right now. I'm going to cover for you. I'll tell everyone that you've gone home, Sheena, and that Billy's gone to bed. That way no one will be looking for either of you. Now you two go and find out how to save your friends." Sheena and Billy hugged her in turn, then stepped away.

"Thanks, mom. We love you."

"I know, Billy. You two and the other Rangers be careful now, okay?" They nodded and teleported away a second later. Mrs. Cranston sighed and whispered a prayer for the Rangers and their friends before leaving the kitchen.

* * *

Unfortunately, Alpha nor Zordon had been able to penetrate the force field surrounding the Machine Skybase to determine exactly where Kahva and Daniel were being held. Sheena knew in her heart where they had to be, in the dungeons located in the deepest part of Mondo's stronghold, she wouldn't be surprised if they were in the very same cell Mondo had held Billy in a year earlier. But until they could break through the force field, there was nothing they could do but continue their scans and stay on the alert. As the hours passed, the Rangers heeded Zordon's advice to go home and rest, reluctantly leaving one by one. Sheena finally headed for her room well after midnight, but stopped at the door. "What's that's noise?" she asked herself aloud. She walked further down the hallway, then explored a few others until she saw a light coming from a room she'd never been in. She quietly walked in to find Billy organizing what looked to be medical supplies. "Billy? What are you still doing here?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice. "Sheena? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I haven't gone to bed yet. What are you doing? It's nearly two in the morning."

"Is it? I guess I lost track of time. Have Zordon and Alpha found anything yet?" Sheena shook her head sadly. "I was afraid of that. I felt so helpless in there, there was only so much fine tuning I could do to the sensors, after that I was only in the way. So I came in here and started working." Sheena walked around the room, looking at the few monitors and first aid supplies strewn about, and some vials of medicine she couldn't identify. Billy rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Mondo's attacks have gotten worse over the past year, and they've been taking more of a physical toll on us than past battles have. So I thought I'd try to set up an infirmary for us. There's some stuff already here, but I'd like to have some other items to get it set up properly. This will be a quieter area for us to recover from a fight, and more comfortable than the tables in the main chamber. I'm going to move those in here, still use them for basic exams, though, and see," he pointed to a door at the back of the room, "behind that door is a hallway with ten rooms, five on each side. They're patient rooms, I just need to figure out where to get beds from to go in them. I'm taking inventory of the medicines we have on hand, checking what's useable and what needs to be tossed out, most everything is ok. This section was designed to be an infirmary anyway, we just never set it up -" Sheena interrupted him with a hug.

"Billy, why now? You should've said something, we could've helped you set this up." Billy sighed and sank into a chair he'd pulled out of mothballs.

"I had to do _something,_ Sheena. That thing thought Daniel was me, Daniel's in trouble just because he looks like me. And Kahva, God knows what Mondo wants with her. I should've made communicators for them, Zordon and Alpha could've locked onto them and teleported them out of there if I had..." Sheena crossed to him and sat in his lap.

"I know how you feel, I've been doing it all night. Blaming myself. Mondo has my soul-sister, because he wants to use her to get to me probably. I feel like I've let her down, and Daniel. Billy, if we can't get them out, I don't know what I'm going to do. The thought of them in his clutches..." Sheena took a shaky breath, trying hard not to cry. "My mind's been running wild, imagining what might be happening to them." Billy cleared his throat uneasily.

"That's... that's the other reason I got the urge to set up the infirmary. They were shaken up badly enough from being brought over to our dimension. We don't know what shape they'll be in when we find them." Billy looked up at Sheena, he hoped she wasn't mad with him for saying that.

She wasn't. "You're right. But I appreciate the way you're thinking. You said when', not if'. That when' is what I clinging to right now, it's - ahh!" Sheena cried out sharply, grabbing her right arm at the elbow. "It hurts!"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, it feels like something ramming through my elbow..." Sheena stopped as images past and present flashed in her mind...

_The door slamming and locking behind her resounded in her ears like thunder. Her heartbeat had never been this fast, not even when she'd realized that she was in the same universe the man of her dreams, Billy Cranston, was in. She also had never been this terrified. Nothing in her life, either here or in her homeworld, had prepared her for this. Years of watching Power Rangers hadn't given her a clue as to how afraid it was possible to really be. Now she knew._

"Strap her to the table," Klank ordered the Cogs holding her. He was preparing a needle for something. Sheena swallowed, her throat suddenly dry in panic. All her life she'd hated shots, and she knew the next shot she got would probably be the last thing she hated... or loved... or had any emotions about. For a sickening moment, she wondered what it would be like to be evil. Fear choked her suddenly, and only the discipline she'd developed for keeping her emotions in check over many years kept a terrified scream from erupting out of her throat.

The Cogs fastened her to a table, and as their metallic hands left her she started fighting, trying to get out of the bonds. She didn't know where she'd be able to go if she did escape, but she had to get out of there.

"Oh, don't waste your energy like that," Klank told her. "Those straps are too strong, you can't break them."

Sheena flexed her arms and legs, trying with all her might to snap the bonds that held her to the table. She'd get out of there, run to the edge of the Skybase, and throw herself towards the Earth; she didn't care if she burned up from friction or died from lack of oxygen or any of the other ways she knew she could perish. Death was preferable to serving evil, something deep inside of her was whispering that. For a brief moment, she felt as if she were touching her crystal again, and a memory of the dream she'd had the night before flashed through her thoughts. She'd held the crystal up, and words had come to her lips. The only difference was, now she remembered what she had said.

As the memory burst through her, tears came to her eyes. "No," she whispered. "It can't be true. I'm..."

Klank turned to her. "A proto-Power Ranger is what I would call you. You have the potential, but not the Power itself yet. That will change: once you serve my lord Mondo."

"Never," she spat the word at him. "No Power Ranger will ever serve that rusted tin-can. Especially not ME!"

"You will." Klank grabbed her arm and stuck a needle in it. For a second, total panic overwhelmed her as she thought this was the end, he'd given her whatever weird potion Mondo had told him to. She almost relaxed when she saw he was only taking some of her blood. A moment later, he deftly removed the needle, and started puttering about at a table a few feet away from her.

Sheena laid back against the table, the garish lighting playing across her face. She closed her eyes and wept a little, feeling both violated and defeated at the same time. She was too much in shock to really accept the fact of what she'd seen in her dreams, but she also knew at some deep level, that after today, one way or another, her life would never be the same.

"No matter what it takes," she whispered to herself. "No matter what I have to do, I will get out of this. Somehow. Maiden, Mother, and Crone, all hear me now, I ask of You. Help me. Let me find a way out of here, though it be at the cost of my own life."

There was no reply; at least not from Them. She closed her eyes, thinking of that last day she'd truly been happy, that last day on Earth, her Earth, her homeworld. Her best friend would be moving in with her that day, and was supposed to be there any second. Sheena had been waiting for Kahva, who'd called and said she'd be right over. The dark-haired writer had passed the time watching her favorite episode of the Power Rangers, "Blue Ranger Gone Bad". She'd sighed happily. "I wish I could be where you are real, Billy... I love you."

Seconds after that, a terrifying force out of nowhere had started to pull at her. She'd been scared, but as her hands instinctively gripped the small crystal ball by her computer, she'd also felt a sense of warmth, as if loving and caring arms were wrapped around her. She'd heard something outside the door, it sounded like Kahva screaming... then she was falling through some sort of tunnel, and she'd been sitting in the woods. In another universe, though she hadn't known it at the time.

Her reverie was interrupted just then as Klank was standing over her again, a cup of something in his hand. "Welcome to the world of evil," was all he said as he forced the cup's contents down her mouth. It burned on the way down, and Sheena swore a viscous oath. "I'm Sheena, I'm Sheena Devereaux," she frantically told herself. "I'm Sheena, a priestess of Isis, a witch, oh, Mother Goddess, help me, sweet Lady, this could've been Kahva, not just me, I'm Sheena, I'm Sheena Devereaux! Remember, you're Sheena Deverau -" Everything went black for a moment, and a horrible pain flashed all through her, pain like nothing she'd ever experienced before. She felt something inside of her split, and what had been one was now two.

Her vision cleared a moment later, and she saw Klank still standing beside her. She was no longer strapped down, and he helped her to her feet. He looked at her a long moment, then asked quietly, "Who are you?"

What a silly question. She knew who she was. Her bright green eyes were colder than ice, and her voice as hard and sharp as a silver sword. Her eyesburned with a fiery coldness and flashed with a crimson edge as she said, '"I am the soon to be Silver Ranger, and King Mondo's ultimate warrior. How may I serve my master?" 

Who else would she be?

Sheena flinched as memories of Klank's lab ran through her mind side by side with new images. Images of a horribly long needle, a cart of medical tools, someone being dragged down a long, dark hallway... the images replayed over and over, the sense of sheer terror growing with each cycle, the pain now residing in both of her arms and growing more intense... Then suddenly the images stopped, and with them, the pain. "Billy, I think I have an idea of what's happening. What's happening to Kahva, at least. Klank's experimenting on her, trying to turn her evil. He's hurting her so badly... Billy, if we don't get the both of them out of there soon, they might not survive." Billy hugged her, trying to reassure his love.

"We'll get them out, Sheena. Somehow."

* * *

A dragging sound woke Daniel from his fitful sleep. Shortly after, he could see Cogs bringing a half-conscious Kahva back to the cell. Once again, as soon as they opened the cell door, he threw himself at them, hoping this time he could knock them away long enough to grab her and get the two of them out of there. And again, he was the one who was knocked backwards, he was the one that was bruised and battered. He crawled over to Kahva, she was mumbling, still not quite alert and aware. He held her, preparing for what was next. Then she awoke completely, and struggled in his arms. "Shhh, you're safe now," he murmured, gently rocking her back and forth. After a minute, she stopped fighting him and knew where she was. Both of them were dirty, tired and hungry, they hadn't eaten since they'd left the reservation Tuesday morning. _And how long ago was that? What time is it, what day? How long have we been here? _Kahva's watch had been broken when they came through the portal, his when Mondo's monster had captured them, so neither of them had any idea how long they had been in the Skybase. _ Long enough for them to do a lot of damage to her, _Daniel thought as he looked at her arms again. They were bruised from her hands to her shoulders, the most severe bruising being at her elbows. She'd told him of the countless times Klank had either drawn blood from her, or had stuck IVs in her to test her body's reaction to whatever chemicals he was pumping in to her. The first several times they had brought her back to the cell she had been violently ill, but the last few she was merely exhausted; physically, mentally and emotionally. She was too weak to be ill anymore. He didn't know how much more she could take.

"Daniel?" Kahva struggled to sit up with his assistance. "What does he want? Why are they doing all of this? I don't understand what they think I can do for them, or why they're keeping you here, why won't they let us go?" Her voice was strained, she was trying not to sound as frightened as she felt. She slowly moved her arms, grimacing with pain as she did. Daniel sighed, he didn't have any answers.

"I wish I knew. Did they say anything different this time, do anything different?" Kahva shivered and shook her head.

"No. Man, I had forgotten most of what happened in my premonition, but now I can't forget any of it, Klank's put me through it so many times for real. The needles, taking my blood. That vise thing he keeps putting on my head that the electrodes are hooked up to... I guess he's monitoring my brain waves or something. If I pass out for too long a time, he gives me something to wake me up. He wants me awake, he wants me to know what he's doing. I'm never sedated for very long. Daniel, I can hardly move, they might as well not even strap me down anymore, I don't have the strength to fight them. Every time I move, it feels like all my muscles are pulling apart. I know I don't have any broken bones, no thanks to Klank or the Cogs, but moving even a little makes it feel like every one of them is broken. But one thing scares me more than anything else."

"What's that?"

"Not knowing what they might do to you while we're apart." Daniel smiled and softly kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry about me, you're the one they're using as lab specimen. Kahva, we're going to get out of here somehow. The Rangers are not going to let Mondo get away with this. Sheena's not going to let him get away with this," he assured her. They sat in the cold cell, resting what little they could, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the cycle would start again; the Cogs would come back, throw Daniel to the back of the cell, and drag Kahva back to Klank's lab. Some time later, the now familiar sound of heavy steps tromping down the hall floated to the cell. _Here we go again, when is this going to stop?_

* * *

Mondo's joints creaked and squealed with effort as he paced across the lab, his gaze going from his unconscious prize on the metal table to his majordomo. "Klank, what is taking so long? You've been trying to find a way to make that girl my slave without losing her powers for nearly three days now! What is the problem?"

Klank sighed and shuddered slightly, Mondo wasn't going to like his answer. "Her abilities are so tied to good my liege, that it is impossible to turn her to evil without canceling them out. It's almost as if there is a built-in protection in her blood to keep her powers from being used for evil."

"Well, how about using fear to turn her, can you make her use her powers for me out of fear?"

Klank shook his head. "It dinna matter, sire, whether it is a potion or intimidation or free will, if she turns evil, her powers are canceled out. She can be turned evil, but she'd only be an ordinary weakling human slave. Though I've come up with an idea that may help us get around this protection' in her blood. But it will take more testing to see if it will work."

Mondo stared at his unmoving prize. Her arms were nearly completely covered with bruises, her face, even through the dirt and grime from the cell, was very pale. He could still see the bruises he had left on her face when she and her companion had been brought to him. The sleeves of her T-shirt were gone, her jeans ragged and torn from being dragged back and forth from the dungeon to the lab. He could see the cuts and bruises on her legs from the straps and the few times she'd been awake enough to fight with the Cogs, trying to break free. There were marks that looked like maybe Klank had cut her himself, had perhaps taken small bits of skin to test. She was in bad shape, he happily thought. "Too bad Sheena can't see the precarious condition you're in my dear, she'd serve me in a minute to save your life... that's it! Klank! Bring the other human in here, I think you know what I want."

Klank nodded and called for Daniel to be brought in. Minutes later, two Cogs dragged the struggling young man in. When Daniel saw Kahva strapped down, he lunged forward, trying to get to her. "Let her go, you're killing her!" he yelled. Mondo grabbed his face, forcing him to look only at the Machine King.

"She _is_ in bad shape, but I have no intention of killing her, not when there is still a possibility of using her powers for my purposes... or using her as live bait to catch a Silver Ranger. And you are the one who is going to cast the bait for me."

"I'm not going to help you do anything Mondo!" Then Daniel felt something jab his arm, and the room went black.

* * *

Rocky grunted as he and Jason moved the last bed into place, all the Rangers had volunteered to help set up the patient rooms in the infirmary Billy was equipping. "Where did all this stuff come from, Billy?" he called out into the hallway.

The Sapphire Ranger's answer echoed back to them from the other end of the hallway. "Remember the medical research facility we kept Mondo from trashing about ten months ago? The company my mom and dad work for does business with them, supplying computer equipment and such. Anyway, mom heard that they've been wanting to thank us somehow for saving everyone. I told her about the infirmary I was setting up here, she told me about them... to make a long story short, she had me make a wish list of equipment and other medical supplies, and she relayed it to them. They left everything outside of their facility this morning with a note saying for us to take it all. They did much more than I expected, they filled the entire list and then some. I didn't teleport a lot of stuff, just left a note from the Power Rangers asking that the extra stuff be donated to the children's hospital. At least this is something I can make progress on now, building a device to send Kahva and Daniel back home once we've got them back is going to take a long time." Billy was in the room with them by now, he glanced around and nodded. "Looks good, thanks guys."

"No problem, Billy, at least it gives us something to do, other than dodge that reporter during and after a Cog fight. She's really getting to be a pest," Jason replied. Sheena wandered in as he said that.

"You're telling me. We need a public relations person or something, this is getting a little ridiculous."

"That and all these stupid Cog fights, three days in a row. What's Mondo up to?"

"Wish I knew, Rocky," Sheena sighed. "I wonder if he's just trying to annoy us, or keep us busy while he's doing whatever he's doing to Kahva and Daniel." Sheena had told the other Rangers on the second day about the pain in her arms, and the images she saw with it. She had finally learned how to shut out the pain without blocking the images, it had become their only means of confirming that Kahva and Daniel were still there. Alarms blared once again throughout the Power Chamber and all of the Rangers ran into the main chamber.

RANGERS, WE HAVE YET ANOTHER COG ATTACK, THIS TIME IN THE PARK, NEAR THE NORTHERN END OF THE LAKE. THERE AREN'T ANY CIVILIANS THERE, BUT THE COGS ARE WRECKING THE PICNIC SHELTERS. Zordon's voice was tired, he and Alpha hadn't been able to find any answers to their current crisis. The Rangers morphed and teleported out to the park, preparing to do battle yet again.

"All right, I'm getting tired of this metalheads, where are Kahva and Daniel!" Sheena shouted at the Cogs as soon as she was solid. The Cogs stopped their destruction and looked at the Rangers, then all teleported away except for one. He pulled out a remote device of some sort, flipped a switch, and suddenly a large bag appeared beside him.

"A message for you from King Mondo," the Cog spoke in a halting monotone, then he teleported away as well. The Rangers looked at each other in confusion, then rushed over to the bag as it started to move.

"Someone's in here!" Sheena gasped as she cut through the rope that held the bag closed. She tore the bag open. "Daniel!"

He blinked and stared at the Rangers for a second, disoriented, then recognized them. "Kahva's in a lot of trouble, Sheena. And I've got only two hours before I have to go back to the Skybase... with you, or Mondo will make her his slave, forever."

"Sheena, what do we do now?" Tanya asked. Sheena looked from Daniel to the Rangers, then up to the sky.

"Looks like in two hours, I'm going to go see Mondo."

* * *

Mondo watched on his viewscreen as the Rangers recovered the human from the park, then teleported away. "Yes, Sheena, you will come home to me, if you ever want to see your friend again. Klank!" His majordomo answered over the intercom set into Mondo's throne.

"Yes, sire?"

"Make sure than my little prize is fully awake for Sheena's arrival, I want her to know everything that is going on. Have you made the preparations for Sheena's arrival?"

"Yes, Your Nastiness."

"Good," Mondo chuckled as he turned off the intercom. Everything was going according to his plan. Before the end of the day, he would have either the child or the Silver Ranger as his slave, or both, forever. Mondo settled further down into his throne as he visualized the damage he could do with either one of them under his control. For the first time that week, things were starting to fall into place very nicely...

* * *

"That's what he said to tell you. You have to come back with me to the park in two hours and surrender to him, unmorphed, or Kahva is his, forever." Daniel was being scanned by Billy and Alpha in the newly set up infirmary. He had cuts and bruises on his arms, a black eye and his lip was split. He was sitting rather stiffly, and had been acting distant to all of the Rangers, he didn't even seem to notice they were there at times. "With or without you, I have to go back, or he'll hurt her even more." Sheena laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder, then went over to where Billy was checking the results of the scans.

"So, how is he?"

"Physically, he's in rough shape, he's dehydrated, I doubt if he's had anything to eat since the reservation Tuesday morning, he had no idea that today was Friday, so he's been pretty well cut off. I'd guess that Kahva in the same condition, or worse, if we can judge from how he's acting. He needs water, food and sleep, in just about that order. I've already given him an antibiotic, some of those cuts are rather nasty." Billy checked another set of readouts on his scanner. "As for what he's saying, he's telling the truth. He's at least telling what he believes, that he has to go back in two hours, with or without you. As for any potion, it's hard to tell. There's something in his system, but it going to take a little more than two hours to lock it down."

"Gut instinct then, Billy."

"It's a trap. He's being controlled somehow, I'd put money on that. Beyond that is anyone's guess. Until we're sure of what is in his system, I'd say the safest course of action is to take everything he says with a grain of salt. We're not being told something here, that's obvious." Billy motioned for the other Rangers to join them and repeated his analysis. "We need a plan, we can't let Daniel go back alone, controlled or not, and we can't let Sheena go in unprotected." Sheena thought for a moment, staring at Daniel. _Can we trust him? What isn't he telling us, does he even know himself?_ Then she switched her gaze to Billy.

"Klank had to have made something to bring them over, right?" As Billy nodded, a plan formed in Sheena's mind. "And you've already said it will take a long time for you to build a device to send them back. Could Klank's device, or whatever he made, be reprogrammed to send them back home, then destroyed?" Billy bit his lip in thought then slowly nodded. "Okay, when Mondo teleports Daniel back, he's going to have to let down the force field at least a little, right?"

"Just enough to get him back, yes."

"Can we slip a couple of us through at that time?" Billy looked Sheena in surprise, then a grin spread across his face.

"Trojan Horse time?"

"You got it. We've only got about an hour and a half left, here's my idea..."

* * *

Sheena and Daniel teleported to the spot in the park where Daniel had been delivered, and waited. They didn't have to wait long, less than a minute after they arrived, Mondo's Cogs appeared and teleported them to the Skybase. Once she was solid, Sheena saw the unpleasantly familiar throne room of the Machine King. "I'm here, Mondo, now let them go, you've got what you wanted." Mondo rose from his throne and lumbered over to Sheena, laughing and wheezing.

"Welcome home, my Silver Ranger."

Sheena practically snarled at the metal overlord. "Let's get one thing straight, Mondo. I am not yours, nor will I ever be! I will never serve evil, much less worthless scum like you!" Mondo roared and raised his hand to strike her.

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Mondo swung his hand at her, but stopped it an inch from her face. He grabbed her hair instead and yanked her over to him, then hissed, "I think I may have something that will change your mind. Slave! Take her to the lab!" Mondo shoved her away, hanging on to her hair just long enough to cause her to lose her balance. She fell to the floor at Daniel's feet,_ Silver Ranger Power now!_ came to her mind, she nearly said the words, but Sheena was startled out of doing it as Daniel roughly grabbed her hair, then her arms, and started to haul her down the hallway to the lab. Mondo and his Cogs surrounded them as they proceeded down the dark passageways.

"Daniel! What have you done to him, Mondo?" Mondo sounded rather pleased with himself as he answered her.

"Oh, nothing much, I just had Klank give him our standard mind control potion. It works perfectly on ordinary humans. In fact, my dear, it is the base for all of my mind control potions, even the one I used on you. I think you remember that one," he laughed. Sheena strained against Daniel's grip, but it was just as tight as Mondo's hold over his mind. Moments later, they arrived in Klank's lab. _Oh no, not here again, I hate this place!_ Sheena thought.

Mondo's henchman was busying himself with several vials on a counter, and there was a circular platform off to one side. "Put her in her new home, slave," Mondo ordered Daniel. Before Sheena could react, Daniel shoved her onto the platform. As soon as she touched it, a force field appeared, completely surrounding her. She punched the energy wall, but it didn't give at all. A small speaker was embedded in the floor of the platform, Sheena could hear everything that was being said outside of the force field through it. "You are so trusting, that's a weakness all you humans have." Mondo chuckled and moved to the center of the room. There was a metal table tilted vertically on its pedestal. "Time to see your visitor, child." Mondo turned the table around and Sheena's heart seized up with fear as she saw a human female, half-conscious, cruelly strapped to the table. Her arms were covered from hand to shoulder with cuts and deep purple-black bruises, so many that you couldn't even count them. Her legs had several nasty gashes and bruises as well, many from the straps that cut into her skin. Her face was pale under layers of dirt and grime, but the bruises on her chin that looked like fingerprints were clearly visible. The look of terror and despair she wore was unmistakable.

"Kahva!" Sheena screamed. "Silver Ranger Power, now!" Sheena morphed and ferociously lashed out at the force field surrounding her, but though it actually flickered a bit, it did not give. "What have you done to her, let her go!"

Mondo's voice even sounded slimy as he ran his hand down the side of Kahva's face. Her head was not restrained, and she was able to jerk away from him slightly. "Oh, I've been letting Klank have some fun testing her, trying to find the perfect way to turn her to evil, to make her my slave. You see Sheena, maybe _you_ won't serve me just yet, but with or without powers, your best friend will! Daniel is already my slave, and eventually, Kahva will be also. But that will have to wait until after Klank has finished his tests on her. Proceed, Klank."

"At once, milord," Klank replied all too gleefully for Sheena's comfort. He made a great show of jamming several IVs into Kahva's arms, ignoring her agonized cries of pain. Some IVs were drawing her blood, others were delivering sickly colored fluids into her system. "Sheena, get Daniel and get out of here," she called weakly as Klank lowered the table back into its horizontal position.

"I won't leave you! Don't give up!" Sheena called out to her. Mondo strode over to the force field holding Sheena with an arrogant swagger.

"You're right about one thing, my Ranger. You are not leaving. None of you are, _ever_." Then he turned back to watch Klank's continued experiments. Sheena yelled and swore at Mondo and Klank at the top of her lungs for several minutes, but to no avail, Mondo motioned for Daniel to turn off the speaker in the lab that allowed them to hear her. Sheena forced herself to calm down, then she began to hunt for a weak spot in the force field, and after a few minutes of searching found it. The force field was generated from the ceiling, perhaps a well-placed blow would do it... _No, not yet, I have to wait until I get the signal. Come on guys, please hurry. Kahva can't take much more. I can't stand here and watch my sister be tortured like this, please hurry!_

* * *

Jason and Billy both shivered involuntarily as they solidified somewhere deep within the Machine Skybase. It took a few moments for their vision to adjust for the lack of proper lighting. "I think I liked this place a lot more when I didn't know what it looked like on the inside," Jason muttered. Billy gave a dry laugh and consulted the rough map Sheena had drawn for them.

"If we have time, I can give you a tour of the area I was in, if you'd like."

"No thanks, I'll pass. Think Mondo detected our beaming in when he brought Daniel and Sheena in?" Alpha had teleported them the instant Mondo had opened his barrier to bring Sheena and Daniel to the Machine Skybase. It had been a very risky gamble, but also the only way any of them could break in.

Billy looked around and shook his head. "We would've heard alarms by now, I'm sure. Let's see if we can find that device, we don't have much time - " Billy stopped suddenly, and Jason could hear him suck in his breath sharply. "We were right, Daniel is under Mondo's control. He's taking Sheena to Klank's lab, and Mondo's right behind them."

"That link you two have is amazing, Billy."

"Actually, I heard that over her communicator. Nice to know that it's transmitting constantly like we'd hoped, I didn't have a lot of time to modify hers or ours."

"So our little signal to her should get through also, then?" Jason inquired hopefully.

"Looks like it will. Come on, according to the map, Mondo's main equipment room is three levels up. No indication of where Kahva is yet, by the way. I hope Sheena can find her." They continued on in silence, dodging Cog patrols along the way. They had just made it into the equipment room when Billy staggered suddenly, then frantically yanked his helmet off. As soon as it was off, he pulled an earpiece out of his left ear and quickly closed his fist over it. Even through his glove, an angry voice could faintly be heard. "Remind me to make a volume control for this when we get back, in case we ever have to use it again." Billy had made the earpiece so that he could monitor everything Sheena's communicator picked up without fear of any of Mondo's lackeys overhearing.

"Sheena?"

"I've never heard her yell like that, and no, you _don't_ want to know exactly what she's saying." Billy looked at Jason, a somber expression crossing his face. "Kahva's in Klank's lab, and based on Sheena's reaction, she's in worse shape than we thought. Klank is finishing his tests', whatever Mondo means by that." Billy straightened, an odd look crossing his face. "I can feel Sheena's fear, her fear for Kahva, through our link, but I'm feeling someone else's fear too... I think... Jason, this is going to sound crazy, but I think I'm sensing _Kahva_ too. I think I'm feeling her fear... I'm almost sure of it, in fact."

"How is that possible? You're married and linked to Sheena, not Kahva, right?"

Billy nodded. "Yes, my link is with Sheena, I don't know, maybe I'm sensing Kahva through Sheena, they are linked, apparently. It's the only explanation I have for sensing two sets of fear." Billy paused again, it seemed like he was listening to a voice in his mind. "Sheena's wanting us to hurry, she's not sure how much more Kahva can take." Billy shuddered in spite of himself. He caught Jason's questioning look and answered, "I just got a visual image of the lab, and of what Sheena's seeing. Sheena's behind a force field of some sort, Daniel is guarding the lab door, and - Kahva is in really bad shape. We've got to hurry." Billy put the earpiece back in, then put his helmet back on as Jason started to look around the equipment room.

"What are we looking for?"

"I haven't a clue, but we'll know it when we see it, I'm sure. Kahva and Daniel described a purple funnel as what pulled them in, so if anything looks like it could make that, sing out." The Rangers continued to search the equipment room, knowing all too well that time was slipping away from them, and most likely faster than they had planned on.

* * *

"Any word yet, Zordon?" Tommy had wanted to go to the Skybase with Billy, but Sheena had made him realize he was needed on Earth, in case Mondo attacked while she was gone. So Jason had gone instead to help Billy search for the device that had brought Daniel and Kahva over. Finding it was the only hope of getting the two of them back to their home anytime soon, since Billy had no idea how long it would take him to build a similar device. Sheena's plan to use Mondo's device, then destroy it so he couldn't use it again had become the only option. _ If they can find it, and Kahva, and get her and Daniel to it in time._ Tommy paced the floor as Zordon finally answered.

NO TOMMY, WE STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH MONDO'S BARRIER TO EITHER COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, OR LOCATE THEM IN THE SKYBASE. IT APPEARS THEIR ONLY HOPE OF GETTING OUT IS FOR THEM TO DESTROY WHATEVER IS GENERATING THE BARRIER. Zordon stopped for a moment, then continued, I AM PICKING UP AN INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM ELTAR. ALPHA, PUT IT ON THE VIEWING GLOBE. The little robot did as asked, and a second later the image of Telvok, the planetary government council head of Eltar appeared. GREETINGS, TELVOK. IS EVERYTHING WELL ON ELTAR?

"Greetings, Zordon and Power Rangers. Yes, all is well on Eltar, there is a small celebration planned here to observe the wedding of the Silver and Sapphire Rangers tomorrow, there is a great deal of excitement all over the planet. It is not often that we get to celebrate such a momentous occasion."

"The wedding," Tanya breathed. "With everything that's going on... what are they going to do?" All the Rangers looked uneasily at each other, after Kahva and Daniel had been kidnapped, all thoughts of the upcoming nuptials had been banished.

Telvok must have been able to seen their expressions clearly. "Have I said something wrong? The Silver and Sapphire Rangers are still planning to be married, are they not?" Tommy cleared his throat and explained the situation. "Ah, I see. I will not distract you anymore from your mission then, but there is someone who would like to speak with you briefly." Telvok stepped out of view, and an old man, possibly in his seventies by Earth standards, appeared in the globe. His thick white hair was haphazardly combed, and there was a kind, but concerned look on his face.

"Greetings, Zordon and Power Rangers. I am Master Madas of Eltar. There is trouble?"

GREETINGS, MASTER MADAS. YES, I AM AFRAID THAT MONDO, THE MACHINE KING HAS SUNK TO A NEW LOW. Zordon answered Master Madas' questions as best he could. UNTIL WE CAN BREAK THROUGH MONDO'S BARRIER, OR THE OTHER RANGERS CAN BREAK THROUGH IT THEMSELVES, I AM AFRAID THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO BUT WAIT. Master Madas tilted his head thoughtfully.

"If Sheena's friends have to be brought back to your Earth, instead of being sent back to their home, I may have something they will need. May I have permission to come to your Power Chamber and wait with you?" Zordon and the Rangers readily gave their permission, and shortly after, Master Madas appeared in the Power Chamber. "Now, my new friends, we must wait for the others."

* * *

"It's not here, wherever it is, it's not here," Billy muttered in frustration. "We're running out of time!" He and Jason had searched every inch of the equipment room, and had found two other smaller equipment rooms, but there was no sign of the device, or anything that looked powerful enough to transport someone from one end of a room to the other, much less across dimensions. "Okay, new tactic here. We have to think like Mondo. He would want to scare a prisoner as badly as possible, especially someone who had never seen him before."

"So the question is, where would he have brought them, had he been able to get them the first time, right?" Billy nodded as he and Jason carefully made their way back into the hallway. "Okay, I'll guess that he would've had them brought to the same place he had you brought to first. Where was that?" the Gold Ranger asked.

"His throne room. That has to be it, good thinking, Jason!" Billy consulted the map once again. "Six levels up, let's go." They ran up every flight of stairs, very nearly being discovered several times as the number of Cogs patrols increased as they got closer to the Machine King's throne room. Finally they were there, and Jason couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

"Man, I can't imagine what it must be like to be brought in here, with no powers to protect you or anything. It's scary enough morphed."

"I don't have to imagine, I know. It's a feeling I hope no one ever has to go through again after we... that wasn't here last time." Billy moved over to a lopsided whirring device that sat near Mondo's throne. There was a purple glow in its center that looked to have a slight funnel shape in its center. "This has to be it," Billy whispered as he took a small pack off of his belt. He pulled out two silver discs and selected one. "Okay, now to see if we can download any information from this thing." Several minutes went by, Billy and Jason lost count of how many times they had to hide behind the throne or the device to avoid being discovered by Cog patrols. Finally the download was finished, and Billy replaced the first disc with the second.

"What's that one?"

"A virus. It'll activate in precisely fifteen minutes. It will start the device and generate the portal, Kahva and Daniel can go through and back to their home, then it will overload and blow up. It's also wiping out all of the files I downloaded, so whatever they used to find Kahva will be gone, Mondo won't have the information to track her down again."

"Unless he starts all over."

Billy tapped his communicator to signal Sheena they were ready. "Let's hope he decides that wouldn't be a good idea. Come on, we've got fourteen and a half minutes before the virus kicks in, nineteen and a half before the portal is formed. And Kahva and Daniel will only have one minute to get through the portal before the device is destroyed..."

"And they're stuck here," Jason finished. "Point the way to the lab, and - Cogs!" Jason yelled. A patrol of half a dozen Cogs had discovered them. Billy and Jason made short work of the metal men, but not before one of them had sounded the alert. Alarms whooped throughout the Skybase. "We've got to get to the lab, Billy!" The Sapphire Ranger grabbed Jason's arm and they ran down the hallways, Billy in the lead, trying to get to the others before time ran out. Billy reached out through his link to Sheena.

_We're on our way._

* * *

Sheena would've paced if there had been enough room in her tiny prison. As it was, she had to settle for shifting from one foot to the other worriedly. Klank had tilted the table Kahva was strapped to just enough so that the two friends could see each other; so Kahva could see Sheena's frustration, and Sheena could see every time Klank did something to hurt Kahva. At least Klank had finally removed all of the IVs from her arms, that provided some small measure of comfort. Daniel had remained impassive at the lab door, standing guard as he'd been ordered. Sheena wondered why his eyes weren't red, as the Rangers had said hers were when she was under the influence of the potion. _Maybe that's a side effect of the potion being mixed with Ranger powers. I'll have to ask Billy what he thinks..._ Mondo's moving over to Kahva drew her attention back to him.

"You know, this wasn't exactly what I had planned for you, my dear. I was looking for someone with power I could use. But then, when I found it, when I found_ you_, I found not only power, I found the Silver Ranger's best friend, gaining me not only power I could use, but a person. Originally, do you know what you were going to do for me, once I found out you were her best friend? You were to have been brought here, placed under my control, and then, right at the end of her wedding tomorrow, you would've beamed in and assassinated her. But before that, you would have stolen her husband. Her last thoughts would've been of loss and betrayal. But something went wrong," he glared at Klank, "and you ended up on Earth, instead of here, where you belong. So I had to change my plans. That fool Shifter was to have captured Billy as a secondary hostage, and also to keep him from finding an antidote to the potion I'm going to use on you. Instead he caught your friend. I suppose Daniel will last a few months in one of my ore mines in the Machine Galaxy. But he did lure my Silver Ranger here, so Daniel, at least, has proven himself useful."

Mondo attempted a smile, but his face couldn't move nearly enough to pull it off. "I really don't want to sacrifice your abilities if I don't have to, my dear. I would like to have them as my tools. Such potential shouldn't be wasted." Sheena yelled something at the Machine King, but the force field muffled it beyond recognition. Mondo snorted at Sheena, then turned back to face Kahva. "Child, I have a proposition for you. Serve me willingly, or Sheena and Daniel both will be my slaves forever! And Sheena will still have her Silver Ranger powers, trust me. You've just arrived on this world, do you want to be responsible for the fall of the Power Rangers, especially when their leader is your best friend?"

Sheena could only watch her soul-sister and hope that she wouldn't fall for Mondo's lies. She needn't have feared. "I wouldn't serve you even if I could, and I won't serve you!" Kahva hoarsely declared. "I don't have any powers, for the last time, I don't know what you're talking about! I have premonitions sometimes, I can't control them, that's it! I'm not a Ranger, I don't belong here!"

Mondo shook his head and chuckled. "You really don't know who you are, do you? I'll take care of teaching you, don't worry child." Sheena pounded on the force field, she could not let Mondo hurt Kahva anymore. She wanted to mangle the speaker, but she didn't, she had to know what Mondo was planning.

"I don't want any lessons from you, you metal creep, and I'm not a child!" Sheena smiled under her helmet. Kahva was terrified, but she wasn't about to give in. _Hang in there a little while longer, girl, you can do it. Billy and Jason are looking for the device that brought you two here so we can send you home, just hang in there._ Sheena didn't know if Kahva could hear her or not, they had not gotten the chance to test the extent of their link, but she hoped that somehow she could hear her. Mondo casually waddled over to the counter where Klank was working and picked through some vials. He found one and then picked up a syringe and filled it with the contents of the vial. He made sure that both girls had a clear view of what he was doing.

He held up the filled syringe and came closer to pulling off a smile this time. "Let me tell you a little story, child," he emphasized the word to intimidate her. "You see this? This is not the potion that your friend is under, this is the antidote for it, this is his only hope for being in control of himself ever again." Kahva cast him a distrustful look that clearly said she didn't believe him. "Oh, yes, I have an antidote, and this is it. You see, the potion I've used on Daniel is very simple and works well on humanoids. I've used it on so many planets to control people, to use them as slave labor to build my empire, I've lost count myself. But sometimes I bring the rulers of those planets out from the influence of the potion with the antidote just long enough for them to see how badly they've failed to protect their people. After that, I put them under again, with that knowledge intact. They are once again my slaves, with the burden of their failure added to their servitude to me!" he gloated.

Sheena shuddered, Mondo had said that potion was the base of the potion he had used on her, and she remembered all too well what it was like to be under it. _Who knows how many planets full of people are under that same potion right now? Sheena glared at Mondo. We will defeat you utterly one day, Mondo. This I swear by the Mother Goddess, we will stop you!_

Mondo continued brag about his evil deeds. "The real beauty of this is, after several generations of my rule, the potion isn't even needed anymore. The people are used to my rule, and know they have no hope of escaping it. Just like your dear Silver Ranger has no hope of escaping the potion we gave her before. Klank still has some of it right here in the lab, one dose and she is mine once more. So you see, you really have no choice. You will serve me, willingly or not, and Sheena will serve me also, one way or another."

Sheena stood and shook with anger and fear, trapped behind the force field... _Just like the first Silver Ranger, unable to help my friends, at least not yet. I can't wait much longer for Billy and Jason._ Kahva Kilanye's memories resurfaced, bringing Sheena close to utter panic. Mondo was taunting both of them by taunting Kahva, all they could do was listen to what he had done to whole worlds, listen to what he was threatening to do to Sheena again. Sheena felt her muscles tense up, she could see Kahva starting to work an arm free, she was waking up a bit more from the effects of the chemicals Klank had pumped into her. Mondo seemed not to notice.

But someone else did. Daniel moved from his post at the door and stopped her. "You are a prisoner of my master, King Mondo, you cannot escape," he stated in a flat monotone, roughly strapping her arm back down as Klank sedated her slightly. Mondo laughed and walked over to Sheena's prison.

"See how easily I can hurt your friends, Sheena? They are powerless against me, and so are you!" Sheena snarled a retort back at him, but with his speaker turned off, he couldn't hear her. "Your best friend _will_ work for me, my dear, with or without her full potential abilities. And you'll get to watch the transformation." A wave of his hand had Daniel turning the speaker back on.

Sheena shoved her fear deep down and cut herself off from it. "She doesn't have any powers, let her go Mondo!"

"Oh, she has very special blood, my dear. I'll never let her go."

Sheena raged inside the force field. "You will let her go or I'll - I'll -" Sheena couldn't even think of anything vile enough to threaten the evil king with.

Mondo answered Sheena's threat confidently, "Why, I'll be happy to set her free from that nasty cold table... after she's my slave, and not before!"

"Fat chance, fathead!" Sheena retorted. Sheena hit the force field again, she had to break out of there... _I can't let him hurt her anymore! What if my sword can't destroy the force field mechanism? What do I do? How do I stop him?_ In her heart, she could only find one choice, one answer... _You can't control what Mondo does, or who he decides to go after. But you can fight him, you always have that option, _Kahva's words came back to her. Sheena felt tears roll down her face under her helmet._ Forgive me, Kahva, but I..._ then she saw a tiny flash on her communicator._ Yes! They did it! Get ready for a big surprise, Mondo! _Alarms started to go off throughout the Skybase.

"Klank! What's going on?" Mondo bellowed. Confusion reigned in the lab for a minute as Mondo ordered everyone except for three Cogs and Daniel to go find out who had set off the alarms, Even Mondo left to see if he could find the intruder._ Now to get out of this force field, here goes nothing. _ Sheena heaved her Silver Sword up at the device in the ceiling where the force field was generated, breaking the mechanism. The force field immediately went down, in the next instant Sheena launched herself at the Cogs, making short work of them.

"You cannot escape." Sheena turned as Daniel rushed at her.

"Daniel, don't do this, fight the potion!" Sheena blocked the wild blows Daniel threw at her. _I might have to try the Silver Flame on him, but I don't know the effect it will have on a regular human. _ Then she saw the antidote Mondo had gloated over. Sheena knocked Daniel down and grabbed the antidote, then shot it into him before he could get up and rush at her again. The antidote dazed the young man, then he collapsed on the floor._ What have I done? Did Mondo lie about this being an antidote? _ A few seconds later, Daniel began to regain his senses.

"What... where? Sheena! Sheena, where's Kahva, I -" Daniel's voice choked off as he saw Kahva bound to the table. He paled visibly as the memory of everything he'd done flooded back. "I'm so sorry, oh God, what have I done?" Sheena pulled him up and over to the table and motioned for him to help her free Kahva.

"What you did, you did because the potion forced you to, Daniel. Kahva knows that, I'm sure. And if she doesn't, I'll make sure she finds out before you guys go home."

"Go home? You mean it?"

"Ask them." Daniel looked back at the door to see who Sheena meant. Billy and Jason were running in, and with their help, Kahva was freed in a matter of seconds. "Everything set?"

"We've got about ten minutes before the device activates. Once it does, five minutes later the portal will form to send you two home, Daniel. When the portal forms, you'll only have a minute before the device self-destructs, so you'll have to move fast," Billy told him as Jason gathered Kahva up in his arms. "You're going home." Daniel grinned and shook the Sapphire Ranger's hand.

"That's the best news I've heard since we got here." Kahva stirred then in Jason's arms, and Daniel gently kissed her cheek. "Wake up beautiful, we've got a ticket for a portal ride home."

"Home?" Kahva mumbled. Jason helped her to stand as she looked around the lab. "Sheena?"

"He's right, you're both going home. Daniel will get you to a hospital, you're both going to need a while to fully recover, but yes, you're going home. Tell everybody I said hi, and that I'm okay when you get back." The Rangers took the newcomers out into the hallway, Jason keeping Kahva stable while Billy supported Daniel as the ordeal of the past three days began to catch up with him. Sheena motioned for them to wait outside the lab, then she surprised them by going back in and closing the door.

"What's she doing?"

"I don't know Jason." Billy tapped the side of his helmet and shook his head. "She's turned off her communicator too." A few seconds later their question was answered by a thunderous shout and the sounds of metal crashing, glass breaking and a blaster firing.

Kahva's eyes went wide. "I think I'm awake now," she commented, still clinging to Jason for support. A minute later, Sheena exited the lab calmly. Kahva looked straight at her, a half-smile crossing her face. "Feel better?"

Sheena smiled under her helmet. "Yup... I feel a lot better now," she giggled.

"Hope you broke something for Daniel and me while you were at it." Billy went to the door that was now swinging by a single hinge and peeked inside. He let out a low whistle and laughed dryly.

"She put a hole through the table you were strapped to, a _big_ one. I don't think you can even call it a table anymore. Just think of what the lab would look like if about twelve hurricanes and a half dozen tornadoes happened all at once... You know, I think she broke enough for you two, all the Rangers, and the entire population of Angel Grove." As the quintet made their way back to the throne room, Sheena laughed.

"Well, I really didn't like that lab. The color was all wrong for the decor." Kahva tossed a look of mock disappointment at the Silver Ranger.

"Sheena, I'm surprised at you. You reined your temper in."

"Sorry, but I didn't have enough time to do the job properly, you know." Her voice turned serious as she studied Kahva's face. _She's on the edge of a nervous collapse, she's just trying to hide it. We've got to get them out of here._ "How much time do we have left?"

"Five minutes until the device activates, ten minutes until the portal forms."

"Plenty of time -"

"Get them!" Mondo's voice shrieked from somewhere behind them. "Bring the girl and the Silver Ranger back to me at once!" The sound of running Cogs behind them was getting closer.

"You were saying, dear?" Billy asked as he let go of Daniel long enough to kick away a lone Cog who had stumbled upon them. Sheena didn't have time to reply as they fought Cogs the rest of the way into the throne room. A purple glow filled the room, and a wind was already blowing near the device as a funnel began to take shape in the center of Klank's machine. "The device has already activated, the portal will form in one minute!" Billy yelled. "Daniel, Kahva, you have to be ready to step in the moment the portal forms!" Kahva walked over to Sheena, her steps becoming a bit steadier as she progressed.

"It's not fair that because of Mondo we didn't get to spend any time together... but I'm glad we at least had a few hours... Blood could not closer sisters make, and time nor distance, can that bond ever break'... we are sisters, Sheena. You'll always be in my heart, in all our hearts." Sheena hugged her soul-sister, a part of her didn't want to let her go.

"I know. Together forever, forever together, always and eternity'. If not in body, at least in spirit and heart. Take care of yourself, sister."

"You too, Sheena. Make Mondo sorry he ever messed with the Sisterhood. Billy," Kahva called hoarsely to the Sapphire Ranger. "Take care of her, or I'll find a way to come back and straighten you out, understand?" she smiled at him. Billy laughed and hugged her.

"Yes ma'am. I know better than to mess with the Sisterhood." He laughed at her expression. "Sheena told me about it a couple of nights ago." Jason moved to hug her too while Sheena hugged Daniel. Then Billy and Jason shook Daniel's hand. "Take care, both of you."

"We will," Daniel promised. A metallic sound of disgust came from the entryway.

"Oh that's so sweet, if I were organic, I'd throw up! Get them!" Mondo shouted. "Don't let the child get away, she's mine!" Suddenly the room was filled with Cogs, then a tentacled monster that looked like Decharger ran in between the device and Kahva and Daniel. It grabbed them both and threw them to opposite sides of the room before blurring into the form of Shifter.

"They will not escape, my lord Mondo!" The portal was now fully formed. Shifter blocked the entrance to it, Kahva and Daniel were dazed, but slowly getting to their feet. "You will surrender, Rangers!" Shifter yelled, then he blurred into the form of one of Mondo's other monsters, Silo. He fired a blast at Jason, who had been fighting his way through a group of Cogs to get to Shifter. The blast knocked Jason off of his feet and left him an easy target for Shifter. "Say good-bye, Gold Ranger!" the monster gloated as he prepared to blast Jason again.

"No you don't!" Billy yelled, tackling Shifter as he fired, causing the shot to go wild and hit the ceiling. Jason unsteadily got to his feet, not hearing the rumble overhead as part of the ceiling started to give way.

"Jason!" Somehow Kahva managed to get to the Gold Ranger and knock him out from under most of the falling debris, but as the dust was sucked away by the now howling winds of the funnel, the others could see that they were both pinned underneath a ceiling beam. Billy blasted Shifter away and rushed to their side, Daniel not far behind him. Sheena joined them a second later, fighting off the Cogs who tried to get near them through the winds and ceiling debris that continued to rain down around them. "Daniel, the portal will close soon, go!" Kahva coughed out.

"I'm not leaving you!" A blast from the area of the machine lit up the room.

"It's too late, the device has self-destructed. We have to teleport out of here." Billy tapped his communicator. "Alpha, Zordon, come in! Anybody, can you read me?" Sheena tried her communicator also, but had no better luck. "Mondo's still jamming, we can't teleport out! Zordon and Alpha haven't been able to break through the barrier!" With a grunt, he finally shoved the beam off of Jason and Kahva. "You two okay?"

"I am, - Jason?"

He nodded and coughed. "Thanks, you saved me."

"If you consider being surrounded by Cogs saved, then you're welcome." As Billy pulled them to their feet, they saw she was right. Short of teleportation, there was no avenue of escape left for any of them. Kahva desperately clutched Sheena's arm. "We have to get out of here, now!" Suddenly the five young people felt something pulling at them, pulling them away from the Machine Skybase. Mondo roared as he saw his captives start to blur.

"Hey, Mondo! I told you you'd let us go!" Sheena called to him.

"I'll get you Silver Ranger! You haven't seen the last of this, I will get you and your friends!" 

"Promises, promises," were her last words as the five young people disappeared.

When Mondo had quite finished spewing oil and smoke, Klank cautiously approached his master. "Sire, I think I found something that might be useful in the future, something in the last set of tests... sire?"

"Tell me _later_, Klank. Shifter!"

"Yes, my liege?"

"Go to Earth as one of my monsters, go as several of my monsters, I don't care! The Rangers must pay for stealing my prize! The Silver Ranger must pay for defying me, do you understand! Go!" he screamed, rupturing the hydraulics in his throat. Klank shuffled as quietly as he could out of the throne room, Mondo wouldn't be wanting to do anything but use him as a punching can, if he stayed, for some time. He made his way back to his lab, then almost shut himself down. There was nothing recognizable left in the room, what had been the examining table was now a thin metal doughnut. All of his vials were broken, every piece of equipment smashed. Anxiously he crossed to a vault hidden in the near wall, much to his relief it and its contents were still intact. Klank sadly squeaked over the remains of his lab counter, then chuckled as a brighter thought came to him.

"Well, until this is all fixed, I don't have to put up with King Mondo wanting me to do the impossible. Maybe now I can get my oil soak." As he slowly turned around, he saw something burned into the far wall. "What in the Machine Galaxy?" Klank adjusted his visual receptors and stared hard at the graffiti. There were no words, just a large lighting bolt burned into the wall, and the initials "S. D. C."

"King Mondo will not like this, he won't like this at all..."

* * *

"Why are we in the park?" Jason asked when the pulling stopped. "And that was the weirdest feeling teleportation I've ever had." The five escapees looked all around them. Indeed, instead of the familiar confines of the Power Chamber, they were in Angel Grove Park, almost on the exact same spot where Kahva and Daniel had been kidnapped three days earlier.

"Maybe Alpha and Zordon had to, I don't know, route us differently or something to get around Mondo's barrier," Sheena suggested. "We can ask them later, right now we need to get Kahva and Daniel to the Power Chamber before anyone sees us, they both need medical attention."

"I don't know about the routing us differently' part, but I think we're a little too late to teleport back to the Power Chamber unnoticed, look." They all followed Billy's gaze to their left, a group of people on a picnic had already spotted them. Billy groaned as a familiar blonde woman led the charge to the young people, cameraman in tow. "Oh great, it's that reporter again, she's the last person we need right now."

"Can't we just teleport away and not talk to her?"

"Would that we could, Daniel, but that will mean she'll have even more questions later, she's been hounding us almost as much as the Cogs this week," Billy replied. "We'll make it short, trust me. I have no idea what we'll tell her, but it will be short, we don't want to talk to her, she's a pest."

"Gee, sounds like a reporter back home," Kahva coughed. "If I get sick on her designer knock-off suit, think she'll leave you alone? And I'm not joking too much about that." Any reply from the Rangers was prevented as the irritating blonde reporter rushed up, microphone at the ready.

"Power Rangers, we were talking to residents here in the park, asking them if they felt safe from Mondo's attacks ever since - I'll get your names later - these two people with you were kidnapped. What do you have to say to the citizens of Angel Grove?" Kahva could see Sheena's muscles tense up under her uniform.

"We are always here to protect not only the people of Angel Grove, but everyone on the planet. For Mondo to kidnap someone like he did Miss Briton and Mr. Whitley here is an unusual occurrence, but one he will not be allowed to get away with," Sheena replied a bit tersely. The reporter didn't seem to take the hint.

"But Mondo has terrorized the citizens -"

"Excuse me, miss." Surprised eyes turned to Kahva as she stared straight at the reporter, commanding her full attention. "I'm new to Angel Grove, but are you always so rude to people who have saved someone's life?" The blonde tried to stammer out a reply, but Kahva cut her off. Her voice was hoarse and pained, but it still carried strength. "The Power Rangers have been working constantly not only to rescue Daniel and myself, but to continue to protect the Earth. I heard several of the battle reports when - one of Mondo's henchmen would be around where I was held," she stated carefully. "Mondo was rather pleased that you kept interfering with their efforts to fight off his Cogs and save the people by jamming a microphone and camera at them whenever possible. From the description I heard, I must assume it was you, I apologize if it wasn't. As for the reason we were kidnapped, it would seem it was a case of mistaken identity. Surely you remember that about a year and a half ago, I believe it was, William Cranston was asked to go to Aquitar, the homeworld of the Alien Rangers. They had remembered him from his childhood; they met him and many of the citizens of Angel Grove when the planet was under attack and they came to protect us. They became aware of his exceptional intelligence back then, it was why they asked him to go to their planet years later. They have kept track of William, and were very happy to hear that he's getting married tomorrow. To make a long story short, Mondo hates the Alien Rangers almost as much as the Power Rangers. He planned to use William as a hostage against the Rangers, but got Daniel instead. I look like Sheena, so, as I said, mistaken identity. The monster thought Daniel was William Cranston. Now if you don't mind, I for one want to see my friend Sheena, get a shower, and sleep, in that order. Thank you," she dismissed the reporter.

Before Sheena could say anything, her communicator flashed. "Miss Briton, Mr. Whitley, I sincerely hope that the rest of your stay in Angel Grove is more pleasant. Sapphire and I have to go, but your friends have been contacted, they will be here shortly. The Gold Ranger will stay with you until they arrive."

"Thank you for saving our lives, Power Rangers," Daniel shook Sheena's hand. Sheena turned to speak to Kahva but made sure everyone close by could hear her. "Miss Briton, I don't know how long you were planning to stay in Angel Grove, but we are considering hiring a public relations person. I talked to your friend Sheena and she told me about your television background, once you've had a chance to recover, we would like to talk to you about the job, if you're interested. We'll be in touch, take care, both of you." Then she and Billy teleported away. Less than a minute went by before the Rad Bug screeched into the nearby parking lot and an unmorphed Sheena and Billy were running up to them.

"Kahva! Daniel!" Billy cried. He and Sheena caught the two in fierce hugs and started to lead them to the Rad Bug. "The Power Rangers told us they would find a way to rescue you.!"

"They certainly did that. We owe them our lives. And you guys will never believe what the Silver Ranger just did. She offered Kahva a job as the Rangers' PR person. Can you believe it?" Daniel was leaning on Billy for support as he continued Kahva's little routine. "But right now, we're both just glad to be back." The reporter kept trying to call out questions to the young people, but they were ignoring her now, and even the crowd was grumbling at her, little comments of Why doesn't she leave them alone', They've been through enough' and She doesn't care about them, just a story' floated around her. She finally decided the crowd wasn't on her side, or she wasn't going to be able to get any more statements. Either way, she walked away as they reached the Rad Bug. Kahva staggered the last few feet to the car, Jason promptly picked her up.

"How about a ride the rest of the way to your ride, ma'am?"

"Thank you, Gold Ranger." It only took a few moments and they were all in the car except for Jason.

"Take care, all of you," he said loudly enough for the crowd to hear. "I'll meet you back at the Power Chamber," he added quietly, before teleporting away.

It was all Sheena could do not to activate the Rad Bug's full speed right then and there in the parking lot. "Kahva, where did you learn to act like that?"

"Remember that girl Rhiannon from high school?"

"The girl who was going into computer /snowfields/Graphics and always went to Star Trek conventions?"

"Yep, that's her. I just went by one of her mottoes: Why lie, when misdirection works just as well, if not better?' Daniel was mistaken for Billy, Billy was going to be used as a hostage against the Rangers, I didn't say which ones," she answered Billy's question before he could ask it, "Mondo does hate the Alien Rangers, and I do look a bit like you, Sheena. I never said my likeness was the reason for _my_ kidnapping. So I didn't lie, I told the truth... I just left out a few details."

"You're sneaky, girl, and a better actor than me," Daniel congratulated her. Kahva smiled and leaned against him, her surge of energy had been from the adrenaline rush of escaping; now that the rush was gone, exhaustion was taking over. They were out of sight of any curious eyes by then, so Sheena hit the controls that enabled the Rad Bug to appear at the Power Chamber seconds later. They had barely pulled into the Zord Holding Bay when they were teleported directly to Billy's new infirmary.

"Alpha, I don't know how you got us out of the Skybase, but you teleported us just in time, good work!" Sheena congratulated the little robot. He was already running preliminary scans and Kahva and Daniel.

"I didn't teleport you out, we couldn't break through Mondo's barrier." Zordon's image appeared in a viewscreen in the infirmary.

ALPHA IS CORRECT, WE WERE UNABLE TO PENETRATE THE BARRIER. ACCORDING TO OUR SENSOR LOGS, A PORTAL WAS OPENED ON THE SKYBASE, THEN IT TRAVELED TO THE PARK AND OPENED THERE, TAKING ALL OF YOU OUT OF THE SKYBASE. Billy looked at Zordon in surprise.

"Are you sure, Zordon?"

YES. THE SENSOR LOGS CONFIRM YOU WERE ALL BROUGHT THROUGH A DIMENSIONAL PORTAL FROM THE MACHINE SKYBASE TO EARTH.

"But the device blew up before Daniel and Kahva could go through, how could have a dimensional portal been created?" Billy called up the logs and started to skim through the data. Kahva carefully slid off of the examining table she'd been on after Alpha finished checking her and Daniel.

"You guys can figure out the technical reasons, have at it. As for me, I want to shower, change clothes, then sleep. Is it okay if I go do that?" Kahva directed that last question to Alpha.

"Both of you need to eat and sleep, you're both dehydrated, you more than Daniel, Kahva. But if you're up to it, go ahead. I'll give you an antibiotic once you're through, just come back in here. We also have patient rooms set up now, so you'll both have a quiet place to rest." Tommy showed up in the infirmary in time to hear Alpha's advice, and he handed a small bundle to Daniel.

"You might want to shower and change too. We brought a couple of changes of clothes for you, just in case the plan to use Mondo's device to send you home fell through." Daniel accepted the clothes gratefully, and went over to Alpha to find out where the men's showers were. Tommy motioned Sheena and Billy over. "Mondo's sent down that monster that grabbed Kahva and Daniel, it's trying to wreck some buildings downtown. Jason and the others are already there, but we need to go." Sheena nodded, taking one last look at the two former captives. _They are both in rough shape, but Kahva's worse, she's walking a very thin line physically, mentally, emotionally... and she doesn't want to worry anyone. She doesn't want to worry me. _She watched Daniel give Kahva a reassuring hug as Alpha brought over her overnight bag._ They didn't deserve this, nobody does._

"This one's for Kahva and Daniel. It's morphin' time!"

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

"Sapphire Ranger Power!"

"Silver Ranger Power!"

Moments later they were in the heat of battle with the monster, Shifter had been taking various monster forms. Once he saw the Cheetah Zord coming at him, he blurred into the Crystal Carrier. "You must pay for your insolence! My lord, King Mondo, has ordered it!" he yelled at her.

"Sorry, left my cash in my other uniform, does Mondo take credit cards?" Sheena retorted, a hard edge to her voice. "Ultra BattleZord, power up!" Sheena watched the Red BattleZord, Cave Wolf Zord and her own Cheetah Zord change configurations with a grim determination... and felt a consciousness fade. "Kahva?" she asked softly.

Billy was beside her now in the cockpit of the combined Zords. "What's wrong?"

"I think Kahva's unconscious. She and I are linked, maybe even more closely than the two of us, in certain respects. We have to be, it's the only explanation that makes sense." Sheena turned her attention to the faux Crystal Carrier. "Time for Mondo to pay _his_ bill, Shifter!" The battle lasted an hour at the most, but the Ultra BattleZord, with the Zeo MegaZord, took out Shifter at last. The Rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber and powered down. Sheena immediately ran to Alpha. "Did Kahva lose consciousness when we went into battle?"

"Yes she did, she fainted before she ever made it halfway to the showers, how did you know?" answered a surprised Alpha.

"I felt it. Zordon, we need to know exactly why Mondo was after Kahva, or she'll never be safe. Mondo said something about she had very special blood. She kept telling him that she has premonitions sometimes, she can't control them and that's it. Is it possible Kahva has some kind of power she isn't aware of?"

_COULD IT BE? AFTER ALL THIS TIME..._ Zordon considered the possibility. PERHAPS THE INFORMATION STORED IN MONDO'S DEVICE HOLDS THE ANSWER. WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT HE WAS SEARCHING FOR A SPECIFIC ENERGY SIGNATURE. BILLY, WERE YOU ABLE TO DOWNLOAD ANY INFORMATION FROM THE MACHINE?

Billy wasn't the only one who caught the hopeful tone in Zordon's voice, but he didn't comment on it. "Yes, it's right here," he responded, retrieving the first disc he had put into Mondo's device. For the next hour, Billy, Zordon and Alpha poured over the contents of the disc, and the information gathered from Alpha's scans of Kahva.

Halfway through the search, Daniel wandered in and reported that Kahva was awake again and had gone to shower. "So, do I need to go shopping for clothes and start looking for a job? I take it that traveling through dimensions isn't as easy as it looked on the TV show."

Billy smiled ruefully. "That might not be such a bad idea. Dimensions that have been created by magic or technology we can usually break into, but naturally occurring dimensions... well, normally you have to find a temporal rift or a wormhole to gain passage. As Klank's device proves, you can make a machine to go through the dimensions, but it's very tricky. From what I'm seeing so far, he made his machine more from guesswork than actual fact. It's a wonder it worked."

"Sounds like maybe it's a good thing it blew up on us. Though if it worked one time, I suppose it would've worked another. Can you build another one?"

Billy cleared his throat. "I think I can make another device to send you back, but it will be a long time before it's ready. I don't know how long, though, that's why we were trying to send you home with -" One of the consoles beeped, calling Billy's attention to its display. Suddenly he gasped, and looked up at Zordon. "Is this what I think it is? Does this mean -"

"Is what, what? What's going on?" Kahva had just entered the Power Chamber, wearing a loose T-shirt and jeans shorts, her hair still slightly damp from her shower. She was pale, there were dark circles under her eyes from lack of proper sleep, and they all could clearly see the numerous cuts on her arms and legs. The bruises on her face were more visible than ever, and Sheena realized to her dismay that the bruising on Kahva's arms and legs was even worse than she first thought. The other Rangers all stared in shock as they got their first good look at Kahva since she and Daniel had been rescued. "I've heard of being black and blue all over', but I never thought I'd see someone in that condition," Adam whispered to Tanya. Alpha handed Kahva a glass of water and a capsule he'd had waiting on a tray.

"I was going to take these to you when you woke up, you should go back to bed."

"I'm too restless to sleep right now, but thanks Alpha. What's going on, Sheena?" she asked after taking the antibiotic.

KAHVA, DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR BIRTH PARENTS? She jumped at the sound of Zordon's booming voice, but calmed herself and shook her head no. KAHVA, BASED ON OUR SCANS OF YOU AND THE INFORMATION BILLY WAS ABLE TO DOWNLOAD FROM MONDO'S DEVICE, WE BELIEVE WE HAVE DETERMINED WHY YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE. YOUR FAMILY WAS ORIGINALLY FROM THIS DIMENSION. OBSERVE THE VIEWING GLOBE, PLEASE. THESE ARE SOME OF THE RECORDS BILLY WAS ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THE DEVICE. A scene where a man was holding up his hands to apparently protect his family from Master Vile's blast played for all to see. The energy seemed to be partially absorbed, then mostly deflected away from them. THAT FAMILY WAS THE LAST OF THEIR LINE. VILE WAS TRYING TO BANISH THEM TO ONE OF HIS DARK DIMENSIONS TO DIE, BUT THE FATHER WAS ABLE TO ALTER HIS SPELL, AND GO TO A DIFFERENT DIMENSION INSTEAD. MONDO WAS ORIGINALLY SEARCHING COUNTLESS DIMENSIONS USING THE FATHER'S ENERGY SIGNATURE. The scene switched to that of a teenage Rita Repulsa firing a blast of energy at a man who was walking to her, but the energy struck a woman who ran in between it and the man. THE WOMAN WHO TOOK THAT ENERGY BLAST WAS MY WIFE, ELYSIA. SHE DIED SAVING MY LIFE. Everyone watched as a small ball of energy, joined by a tiny flash of what might have been a second ball of energy, seemed to leave her body. SHE SENT HER POWERS INTO THE FUTURE, TO BE REBORN IN SOMEONE OF HER LINE. THE MAN YOU SAW EARLIER, WHOSE FAMILY WAS BEING ATTACKED BY VILE, WAS THE LAST OF HER FAMILY LINE. HE WAS HER NEPHEW. Kahva absorbed this information, then gave Zordon a puzzled look.

"Maybe I'm missing something here, but what does this have to do with why Mondo wants me... wait a minute. Are you saying...?"

Zordon nodded at Kahva. HIS FAMILY ENDED UP IN THE DIMENSION YOU GREW UP IN. OUR SCANS OF YOU CONFIRM YOU ARE OF HIS LINE, YOUR SIGNATURES MATCH CLOSELY ENOUGH. Zordon paused before continuing, he didn't want to scare her. THE SCANS OF YOUR ENERGY SIGNATURE SHOW THAT IT IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL, HOWEVER, TO THE SIGNATURE OF ELYSIA'S POWERS THAT SHE SENT INTO THE FUTURE. YOU ARE THE LAST OF ELYSIA'S FAMILY LINE, AND YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE POWERS SHE SENT INTO THE FUTURE. Kahva paled even more, and Sheena rushed to support her. NO ONE KNOWS EVERYTHING THAT ELYSIA WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IF SHE HAD SURVIVED, BUT SHE KNEW SHE HAD TO SEND HER POWERS INTO THE FUTURE, TO BE REBORN LATER IN HER LINE. I TAUGHT THE FIRST POWER RANGERS THAT THEY COULD DO THAT AS WELL, BUT ONLY IN A CASE OF EXTREME EMERGENCY. THE FIRST SILVER RANGER WAS THE ONLY WHO DID SO. KAHVA, YOUR POWERS, WHATEVER THEY TURN OUT TO BE, ARE PROTECTED FROM BEING TURNED TO EVIL. ELYSIA KNEW THAT AS WELL, SHE WASN'T AFRAID THAT RITA COULD USE HER POWERS, BUT THAT THE POWERS WOULD BE LOST FOREVER WITH HER DEATH. THAT IS WHY THEY WERE SENT TO YOU, THAT IS WHY MONDO WANTS YOU. HE MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THAT YOUR POWERS CAN NEVER BE USED FOR EVIL, BUT HE MAY TRY TO FIND A WAY TO GET AROUND THE PROTECTION YOUR BLOOD HAS. THIS PROTECTION IS PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

Kahva shook her head, this was a little too much for her to deal with. "So I've got some kind of powers that can't be used for evil, passed down from your wife, but Mondo wants them anyway? I'll tell you the same thing I told Mondo, I have premonitions sometimes, I can't control them, that's it! How could that help Mondo? This is all a little too weird, here." Zordon nodded and smiled sympathetically.

YOUR PREMONITIONS ARE WHAT WE CALL ON ELTAR FUTURE VISION'. IN ELYSIA'S FAMILY, THAT GIFT WOULD SHOW UP WHEN THE YOUNG WOMAN REACHED THE AGE OF SIXTEEN. IT SHOWED UP MUCH EARLIER IN ELYSIA, WHEN SHE WAS ELEVEN. THAT WAS TAKEN AS A SIGN TO MEAN SHE WAS EXCEPTIONALLY BLESSED. HER GRANDMOTHER CONFIRMED THROUGH A TRANCE THAT ELYSIA WAS DESTINED TO HAVE ALL OF THE GIFTS, NOT TO BE ONLY A CARRIER OF THEM, THOUGH THERE WAS NO INDICATION AS TO IF ELYSIA WOULD BE ABLE TO USE ALL OF THE GIFTS. NORMALLY, SOMEONE IN HER FAMILY WOULD ONLY HAVE ONE GIFT, AND THE GIFT OF FUTURE VISION' WAS FOUND ONLY IN THE WOMEN. Sheena looked from Zordon to Kahva.

"Well, Kahva's first premonition was when she was fourteen, when she saw that a bully was going to push me at the skating rink." Kahva shook her head at that.

"Actually, my first one was when I was about ten, I think, but I don't know if it counts. I'm not really sure exactly what it was. I saw some people in old-looking clothing, and a man with a staff. An older woman was calling him Zared, he -" Kahva stopped as Zordon gasped, but he nodded for her to continue. "He was threatening a couple of boys who were protecting a falcon. A little girl stood him down... I don't remember everything, it's been so long ago, I thought it was just a strange dream back then. The girl treated one of the boys who had been hurt. Then it all switched to a woman waking up in a room full of computers and consoles, then I saw that same woman again, taking a crystal, and she started to glow silver, a costume appeared..." Kahva gasped and stared at Sheena. "I remember her face now, she looked like you, only she wasn't you, but _she was wearing the Silver Ranger uniform!_ The only person I ever told this to was my adoptive mom. She joked that I'd had a vision of silver', then told me it was just a bad dream. I never told anyone else, I was afraid they would think I was stupid... I didn't have another one until right before Sheena and I met, then a week or two later, the one of the skating rink... oh God, I am losing my mind." Sheena hugged her, Kahva's nerves were completely shot. Zordon spoke quietly, trying to reassure her.

KAHVA, WHAT YOU SAW WAS THE FIRST TIME MY BROTHER NINJOR AND I MET ELYSIA. I WAS THE BOY WHO ZARED HAD HURT. THE RANGERS KNOW ZARED BETTER AS MASTER VILE. All of the Rangers looked at each other in shock, they had never heard about this early meeting between their mentor and one of their greatest enemies before. THE OTHER IMAGE YOU SAW WAS WHEN I BROUGHT THE FIRST SILVER RANGER, KAHVA KILANYE, TO MY COMMAND CENTER, AND THEN LATER, WHEN YOU SAW HER TAKE THE CRYSTAL, WAS THE MOMENT SHE BECAME THE SILVER RANGER. Zordon's voice cracked a little as he continued. ELYSIA HAD SEEN A YOUNG WOMAN IN A VISION WHO WAS DESTINED TO FIGHT EVIL, AND THAT I WAS TO BE HER TEACHER. SHE WASN'T SURE IF THE WOMAN WAS OUR CHILD IN THE FUTURE, OR SOMEONE ELSE, BUT SHE KNEW THE WOMAN'S NAME WAS KAHVA. I BELIEVE NOW THAT SHE SAW KAHVA KILANYE, BUT I HAD TOLD HER THAT OUR CHILD WOULD BE NAMED KAHVA, I WAS SO CERTAIN WE WOULD HAVE A GIRL... Kahva looked up at Zordon.

"But you didn't have your child, did you? You lost her when you lost your wife, she hadn't been born yet. You would've had a daughter..." She shook her head in confusion. "I don't know how I know that, I just do... this is too weird."

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WHEN ELYSIA SENT HER POWERS INTO THE FUTURE, SHE SENT THE NAME KAHVA AS WELL. THAT MAY BE WHY YOU SHARE THE NAME WITH THE FIRST SILVER RANGER. AS FOR ELYSIA'S NEPHEW, ONE OF THE GIFTS THE FAMILY LINE HAD WAS THE ABILITY TO ALTER MAGIC OR ENERGY. THEY WOULD ABSORB SOME OF IT, THEN THEY COULD EITHER REFLECT OR DEFLECT THE POWER. THEY COULD ALSO ALTER IT, CAUSE IT TO DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. ELYSIA'S NEPHEW ALTERED VILE'S SPELL, SO THAT INSTEAD OF BEING BANISHED TO VILE'S DARK DIMENSION, THEY WENT TO YOUR DIMENSION. THIS COULD ALSO EXPLAIN WHY YOU ENDED UP HERE ON EARTH, RATHER THAN AT THE MACHINE SKYBASE. YOU MAY HAVE ALTERED MONDO'S PORTAL WITHOUT REALIZING IT. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PORTAL?

"I remember not knowing where I was, hoping that Daniel was safe since I hadn't seen him pulled through with me... and wishing Sheena was there, wondering if that was what had happened to her. It kinda felt like I was changing direction, being pulled somewhere, I don't remember anymore, I guess I passed out." Zordon nodded and smiled, while Billy's eyes grew wide and he rushed to check the readouts once more.

I BELIEVE YOU ALTERED THE PORTAL, KAHVA, THOUGH YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT AT THE TIME. FEELING THAT DANIEL WASN'T WITH YOU MAY ALSO EXPLAIN WHY HE APPEARED IN ANOTHER PART OF THE PARK, INSTEAD OF WITH YOU. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT HIS PRESENCE IN THE PORTAL MAY HAVE AFFECTED ITS ABILITY TO BRING YOU TO THE SKYBASE, MAKING IT EASIER FOR YOU TO ALTER IT.

Daniel grinned and moved over to the shaken girl. "I guess I might've overloaded it, huh?" Kahva laughed nervously, but Sheena frowned as she watched Billy's hands flying over one of the consoles.

"Does this have anything to do with how we got out of the Skybase?" She looked at Billy, who slowly looked up and nodded.

"Kahva," he started as he crossed over to her, "when you said to Sheena that we had to get out of the Skybase, what do you remember thinking or feeling?"

"I just wanted to be on Earth, at the park, the Power Chamber, anywhere, I just wanted all of us out of there, big time. I grabbed Sheena's arm, and we were pulled... no wait, I felt a tingle of something, like a very mild shock, then we were pulled." Kahva's expression matched Billy's as she realized what he was driving at. "You mean,_ I _did that? I opened a portal to the park?"

Billy nodded. "And the power you drew from to do it was Sheena's. She was your battery', so to speak. You used her power to make the portal. According to the readouts, what brought us to the park was a dimensional portal. _ Your portal."_

KAHVA, THIS MAY MEAN YOU HOLD THE KEY TO GOING BACK TO YOUR DIMENSION. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE YOURSELF AND DANIEL BACK HOME. IN FACT, I BELIEVE YOU CAN. THE ABILITY IS IN YOUR BLOOD, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. ALL YOU NEED IS A PROPER POWER SOURCE TO DRAW FROM, Zordon finished somberly.

"We can still go home? That's great! But don't rush yourself, Kahva, you've been through too much lately. But we can go home!" Daniel was plainly excited, but Kahva was as serious as Zordon.

"You can go home," she sighed. "I have to stay here."

"What? I don't understand, Zordon just said that you can open dimensional portals, that you can take us home."

"As long as I have a proper power source to draw from," she reminded him. "While using a _Ranger_ as a power source. If I try to stay, then that Ranger has to stay with us too. The Rangers are needed here, every single one of them. And if I'm a descendant of Elysia's family, then I should've been born in this dimension anyway."

Daniel shook his head. "Then I'm staying with you too. I won't leave you, Kahva."

"You can't stay. You belong back there, you've got a family, friends, a career you were trying to start. You have to go back. I want you to stay, I can't deny that, Daniel. But if you do, then you'll spend the rest of your life as a target, until the Rangers get rid of Mondo. And I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. At least back home, you'll be safe."

"But what about you? If you stay here, you'll be a target, too."

Kahva shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "I don't have anywhere else to go. Daniel, weird as it sounds and feels, this dimension is my home." Daniel started to protest, but he saw the determination in her eyes.

"I don't suppose I'll win if I argue with you."

"Nope."

"I'll go on one condition," Daniel conceded. "You have to visit me, or bring me back here to spend time with you, when you get the chance, when it's a safe time to do it. Because I can't lose you, not when I've just found you." Sheena grinned and put her hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"I think visitation can be arranged." Sheena flashed a grin at her soul-sister. "You would be the one to carry on an interdimensional relationship, Kahva," she teased.

"Has anything ever been simple in my life? Why should I start now?" she laughed dryly.

"Well, I don't know when you're going to want to take Daniel back, but when you do, I'm going too. I have something I need to do back home." Kahva looked from Daniel to Sheena and took a deep breath.

"I feel ok now, rather, I feel a little better than what I did earlier. We might better do it now, before Mondo decides to pull something again. I don't think he's too happy with us at the moment."

"Are you sure you should be trying this so soon?" Tommy asked. To his eyes, she looked far too weak to be doing anything but resting. _I'll bet she's only standing right now because of sheer will power._

"As sure as I'm going to get. That, and if I don't go ahead and try now, I'll be too scared to try later. Let's do it." Billy hurriedly charted the path the original portal had traveled for Kahva to use as a map, while Jason retrieved the clothes Daniel had been wearing when they arrived at the beginning of the week for him, apologizing that they hadn't been washed. Quick good-byes were said, then Kahva took Sheena's hand and concentrated - but nothing happened. Several minutes went by and she still had not been able to open the portal.

"I can't do this, I don't know how I did it to start with," she said dejectedly, on the verge of tears. "Daniel, I'm sorry, I've messed up again, I can't do anything right."

Billy crossed over to her and gave her a reassuring hug. "Don't worry Kahva, you just need to relax. Maybe it's too soon for you to try this -"

And then the four young people disappeared.

* * *

"Where are we? And why am I here?"

"You came along for the ride when you touched Kahva, I suppose. I thought we were going to be somewhere outside, in the park at Richmond." Sheena looked at Kahva, they were in a room somewhere, the lights were all turned off and the curtains were drawn, shutting out most of the outside light. "What happened, Kahva?"

"When Billy touched me, I could _see_ the pathway, I relaxed... and then you thought of home, I heard your voice in my mind. I guess to me, that meant here... wait a minute. We _are_ home, this is my old apartment!" Kahva wandered around the room a few seconds, then turned back to the others. "We'd better get out of here, Jaycynda and Cindy will both have a heart attack if they see you, much less me and Billy and Daniel." A chorus of seven voices and the sound of the front door opening prevented them from exiting the living room. "Uh oh, I think we're too late."

"Let me get something from my room and - Kahva! Sheena!" Jaycynda screamed, then promptly fainted. Kahva couldn't help but grin as she turned on the lights while Sheena and Billy moved to pick Jaycynda up from the floor.

"I think that was my reaction, almost verbatim, wasn't it? When I saw you in the park?" Kahva joked. The owners of the other voices entered at that time, all calling out either Kahva or Sheena's name upon seeing the two girls. It took some time, but the ensemble were eventually reassured that they weren't hallucinating, that Kahva and Sheena were real, and right there in the apartment. Josh was the first to put together a coherent question.

"Where have you been, Kahva? Greg said that you and the David Yost look-a-like disappeared Monday afternoon... now there are two of him? And where did you find Sheena?" Kahva looked at Sheena, then to Jaycynda as she started to wake up.

"Where have I been? Umm, second star to the right, then straight on till the next dimension, maybe?" Kahva paused to smile at the bewildered group. "Look, if Jay promises to stay awake, we'll give you the rough outline. But rest assured, we are real, we are here, and have we got a story for you. I suppose we should start by telling you that Sheena is now the Silver Ranger, leader of the Power Rangers, and this," she indicated Billy, " is the real Billy Cranston, and he is the Sapphire Ranger, and," she paused as Jaycynda fainted again, "this looks like it could take a while. Anybody got a cold Mountain Dew handy? I haven't had one for nearly a week."

* * *

Tommy nervously paced the Power Chamber floor. "Are you sure they made it back to their dimension, Alpha?" he asked for the twentieth time. Alpha merely nodded this time, a verbal answer would only serve to make Tommy more nervous.

Kat moved into Tommy's path to make him stand still. "Tommy, they'll be all right, relax. Mondo hasn't discovered that Kahva opened up a portal, he hasn't been scanning anything ever since they escaped from the Machine Skybase. They're ok." Tommy listened to her, but didn't seem as convinced as Kat would've liked. Jason tried to reassure him also.

"Mondo isn't going to be doing much of anything except cleaning up the mess with left him. Tommy, they will be all right."

"You should listen to the Gold Ranger, he is right, Tommy," a familiar voice came from behind the agitated Ranger. A familiar figure with long salt and pepper hair bound back in a ponytail and clad in a stately blue robe stepped into view, followed by their earlier visitor.

"Ninjor!" they all sang out, eagerly greeting the Ninjetti master. "Master Madas, is this who you had to go back for, just before we left to fight Mondo's monster? I thought Ninjor was at the Temple." Ninjor laughed and clapped a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"I was at the Temple, Master Madas must have gone to get someone else." Ninjor turned to greet his brother. "Greetings, brother! Judging by your message, am I to understand that we have a new addition to our family?" As Ninjor was brought up to date by Zordon, the others clustered about Master Madas, his thick white hair even more haphazard than before. "Where did you go? You missed Sheena and Billy, they've gone with Kahva to take Daniel home."

"I felt that the medicine I brought, should it be needed, might need a booster, so I went back to Eltar and got her."

"Her?"

"You'll learn soon enough. Now I believe I have everything, I will wait for them to return." As Master Madas settled down, Tommy fought the urge to start pacing again. _ I hope they return soon, we've never done anything like this before, and Billy wasn't supposed to go along with them. Hurry back guys._

* * *

"- And that's about it in a nutshell, guys. I'm going back to the other dimension. I'm like Sheena, I was supposed to have been born there. Daniel belongs here, so he'll be staying," Kahva finished wistfully, as he hugged her. Daniel had gently pulled her into his lap before she and Sheena started to explain things to their friends, they had been talking for nearly two hours now, and Kahva was becoming even more exhausted, the cold soft drink she'd requested sitting forgotten on the nearby coffee table, unopened. _ Hope she has the strength to get them back, she's awake only because she's forcing herself to stay that way._

"Well, there's only one problem he might have in staying here," Josh said when he found his voice again. "How does he explain where he's been for nearly a week? The police say they think he was kidnapped with Kahva at the arena, but they haven't ruled out the possibility that he was actually the kidnapper. Somehow, I don't think they'll believe he's been in another dimension, held prisoner by a TV kid show villain for most of that time. I'm still trying to tell myself I'm not imagining this."

"Yeah, and Detective Bennett is going to want to know what happened to you," Jaycynda told Kahva. "And to Sheena, because the theory they're going on is that whoever kidnapped Sheena two years ago is the same person or persons who grabbed Kahva and Daniel, if Daniel wasn't in on it. They think that, because the hallway was a wreck like your old apartment was." Kahva and Sheena looked at each other and Daniel, this was something they had known would have to be dealt with, but to hear it put into words brought home the immediacy of the problem. Slowly, grins crossed their faces as the two girls hit upon the same idea.

"Daniel, go put on the clothes you were wearing on Monday," Kahva instructed. "Josh, you still fancy yourself an actor?"

"Yeah... why?"

Sheena and Kahva laughed as Sheena ruffled Josh's hair. "Josh, I think what Kahva means is, sometimes misdirection can be a very useful tool."

"Shields up, go to red alert, Mr. Spock!" Kahva giggled. "And after we take care of this, we need to get back to the Power Chamber, you two do have a wedding to get ready for tomorrow," she reminded Sheena and Billy.

Cindy's eyes widened, "You mean you were serious, they _are_ getting married?"

"Yep." Kahva answered. If the young people had any doubts, the kiss Sheena planted on Billy at that very moment blew them to smithereens. Sheena sighed as the kiss ended.

"I wish all of you could be there." There was a pause, then Sheena straightened up, her eyes now the ones to go wide as she turned to Kahva. "I don't know if it's our link, or instinct, but I can feel that smile through my back, girl, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you, Kahva?"

"I think I am. I can at least try. Question is, if it works, where do we put everybody?"

Sheena considered for a moment. "If everybody can get a couple of changes of clothes and a sleeping bag and pillow apiece, then we could put them in the cabin. Would that be okay, Billy?" The resident genius of Angel Grove stared at the two girls, not quite following them, then realization sank in.

"I think the better question is, are you up to it Kahva? The cabin part is no big deal at all, the getting everybody back home is the hard part." Kahva smiled and hugged Billy.

"Well, I do have two batteries to draw on, and right now I'm so happy, I think I could move the entire Machine Skybase. Daniel?" she turned back to the young man who had come to mean so much to her, "Would you like to come back with us for the wedding?"

Daniel's response was a firm but gentle hug and a tender kiss. "As long as someone can drive me to my place so I can get some clothes and stuff, and a sleeping bag. After all, it gives me that much more time to spend with you!" All the preparations and the wild scheme took another two hours to pull off, but finally everyone had something to wear to the wedding, a sleeping bag, pillow, and anything else they would need for an overnight trip. Daniel was happy to report that misdirection had worked perfectly, after he pretended to get away from his kidnapper', which was the disguised Josh, in front of a police seat-belt checkpoint, he had been taken to Detective Bennett. "I just went along with what he already believes, that you were kidnapped by the same ones who grabbed Sheena two years ago, that they were afraid you would remember everything that happened one day. The police believe now that both of you are dead, and that if not for one of my kidnappers'," he grinned at Josh, "stumbling onto the checkpoint, I'd be dead too. Turns out to be a good thing the clothes I was wearing Monday didn't get washed, and being roughed up by Mondo's goons helped too. They thought I'd been roughed up by the kidnappers. The hard part was when they took me to the emergency room and the doctor wanted me to stay since I'm dehydrated. I insisted that all I wanted to do was stay with some friends and sleep. That, and a promise to go to my own doctor and to follow his orders set me free." Daniel laughed, he'd changed back into the clean clothes Tommy had given him, Jaycynda had been the one to pick him up at the emergency room to take him back to his place. He had also found an old sleeping bag and had picked out a suit to wear to the wedding. Jaycynda grinned then.

"Yeah, I think I did good acting job too, after all, I'm the one who pretended that Daniel was an old friend of ours from school, which was why I knew him as well as Kahva and Sheena. As far as the detective and the emergency room doctor know, I'm making sure Daniel follows his doctor's orders, and I'm supposed to be delivering the bad news' about Kahva and Sheena to all of us. Oh, and I told them that we'd all planned on going off together tonight for a private gathering, a memorial service of sorts, and that we'd planned on this yesterday, so they won't be expecting to see any of our group anywhere for a day or so, so I think we've got all our bases covered." Jaycynda looked around at the group, all were excited and overjoyed at knowing that Kahva and Sheena were alive and well, and at the thought of visiting another dimension. "So what do we do?"

Sheena answered for Kahva, "Everybody hold hands and don't think of anything, empty your minds completely. Kahva doesn't need to pick up on any stray thoughts, she's still getting the hang of this."

"I just hope I can bring everybody over," Kahva said as she stood between Sheena and Billy, holding both their hands. Daniel kissed her cheek before taking his place beside Sheena.

"If you can't, it's okay. We love you. I love you." Kahva smiled, and for the first time, didn't blush at his attention. She looked around, everyone's sleeping bags and pillows were tucked under arms, overnight bags were hanging on shoulders, they were ready to go.

"I don't think we're going to be in Kansas, or Richmond, much longer, Toto."

"Josh, get that thought out of your mind right now, or Kahva just might send us to Oz!" Sheena reprimanded him.

"Oh come on, that's just a kid's story."

"And Angel Grove and the Power Rangers are just on a kid's TV show."

"Point taken, erasing brain right now. Sorry," he grinned sheepishly at Sheena and Kahva. Kahva smiled, then slowly exhaled, relaxing her mind and body. This time she could easily and clearly see' the path back to the Power Chamber. She felt a very mild shock from both Sheena and Billy, she knew now that this was some of their power, and that she was tapping it. She envisioned the portal opening and surrounding all of them, picking them up, and carrying them along the pathway. She felt them shift away, like an elevator starting, but there was no real defining if they moved up, down, diagonally... and when she opened her eyes, they were once again inside the now familiar Power Chamber. As her friends gaped and gasped, she smiled at Sheena, she had done it!

"Cindy, Jaycynda, Ann, Melissa, Josh, Kenny, Todd... welcome to the Power Chamber, guys," she managed to say before her vision went dark, and she fell into nothingness.

* * *

"Hey there, pretty girl. You feeling a little better now?" a voice greeted her as she struggled to open her eyes. She knew the voice, where was she? A tightness on the top of her left hand brought back the memories of Klank's lab and for a second she panicked, then she remembered; Sheena, Billy and Jason had rescued her and Daniel... Daniel. That was who the voice belonged to. She finally managed to keep her eyes open and saw him sitting at her bedside, a concerned smile crossing his features.

"What happened?" Kahva pulled herself into more of a sitting position on the bed, she realized that she must be in one of the patient rooms in the new infirmary. "I remember getting to the Power Chamber, did I pass out?"

"Right into Jason's arms, he was standing behind us when we arrived," Daniel chuckled. Kahva groaned, then winced at the tightness on her left hand. There was a bandage there, its placement reminded her of where an IV port would've been.

"How long have I been out?"

"Long enough for a quick infusion of some glucose, Sheena didn't think it would be a good idea if you woke up and saw an IV sticking in you, she was afraid it might scare you a bit. You've been out for a couple of hours. Sheena and Billy have been beating themselves up for letting you transport us over to our dimension so soon, much less letting you transport all of us back here."

"They shouldn't be blaming themselves, it was my choice. I wanted to do it."

"Zordon's been reminding them of that, but they're still blaming themselves, especially Sheena. She'll be glad to know you're awake again. Oh, Ninjor is here, he's been telling Sheena that you're just following in Elysia's tradition of putting everyone else before yourself. So I guess that means you're getting back to normal. Hungry?"

"Starved, but I don't know if I need to try anything solid just yet, maybe I could handle some soup, though." As she started to get out of the bed, Daniel moved to stop her. Kahva noticed that he had a bandage on the top of his hand too. _ He's had an infusion too. It's because of me he got into this mess. Why do people I care about always get hurt?_

"Whoa there, do you think you should be getting up so soon? They can bring us something to eat in here, you don't have to go get it." Kahva smiled wearily at him, she was very tired.

"I want to go in there and tell Sheena and Billy to quit blaming themselves. I'll rest later, I promise." Both Kahva and Daniel were still dressed in the clothes they had changed into after being rescued. "Besides, I'm decently dressed. The only thing shocking about the way I look are all the cuts and bruises..." her voice trailed off as she saw her face for the first time in the mirror over the sink in the room, "and my face." She looked haggard and worn, even more so than Daniel. "I knew I didn't feel good, but I didn't know I looked as bad as I feel. No wonder they're all so scared."

"So you'll stay in here and rest?" Daniel asked hopefully.

"No, it's all the more reason to go in there, at least for a little while. Sheena needs to know not to blame herself, the others need to know I'm okay, and that after I sleep a while, I'll be as good as new. That, and after three days of being cooped up, I've got the urge to move around what I can. Staying still when I can move, while I have enough strength to move, feels too much like confinement. And we've both had enough of that, I think," she smiled at him.

"That, I won't argue with. Just promise me you'll get some rest soon." Kahva smiled and nodded, to be honest, she didn't have much strength at all, but the urge to go back into the main chamber was too strong to resist. She couldn't walk too quickly, so it took them a few minutes, but the former prisoners eventually made their way into the main chamber in time to see Tommy, Jason, Rocky and Billy materialize with armfuls of pizza boxes, paper plates and bowls, plastic cups, soft drinks, three large thermoses and plastic forks and spoons. "Didn't realize the Power Chamber had a phone so you could order take-out," she quipped.

"Kahva!" several voices chorused as Sheena was the first to rush to her and Daniel. "You should be in bed, you need to rest."

"Just like you shouldn't be blaming yourself for my decisions?" Kahva hugged Sheena. "You and Billy and everybody else stop blaming yourselves for what I _wanted_ to do, and I'll get some sleep after a while, ok?" Sheena started to protest, but knew the look on her soul-sister's face all too well.

"I should know better than to argue with you by now, shouldn't I? All right, all right, I give! Come on, if you insist on being up and about, there's a couple of people you and Daniel should meet." Sheena escorted Kahva and Daniel over to where Ninjor and Master Madas stood, the two master warriors had been watching the exchange in amusement. It startled Kahva to hear Sheena call Madas Master', but she realized it was because he had been her teacher, it was not a term of slavery. Within minutes everyone had settled on the floor around the main chamber and was digging into the pizza. Two of the thermoses had chicken noodle soup, the other held cool water with a small amount of orange juice added to it for Kahva and Daniel, which they accepted gratefully. Both were starved, but unsure if they could handle solid food just yet. The expressions on Ninjor and Master Madas' faces as they saw pizza for the first time were priceless, but both agreed that it was quite tasty, if odd-looking from their point of view. Kahva became uncomfortably aware of the stares she was getting from her friends as they started to realize just how bad a shape she and Daniel were in, and was about to excuse herself when Sheena started fuss at someone.

"Casach, quit pulling my hair, I'm trying to eat - Casach!" At that point, everyone caught sight of the six-month-old cheetah cub rolling on the floor behind Sheena, playing with her long hair as if it were a rope. Everyone sitting on the floor except for Sheena, Madas, Ninjor and Kahva seemed alarmed by the big cat's presence, but none dared move. Kahva smiled and laughed.

"Here, kitty, kitty," she called.

"That's not a kitty, that's a cheetah!"

"It's still a cat, Kenny, just a real big one, chill out. Here kitty, kitty," Kahva called again, this time standing up and starting to walk over to the playful cheetah. Casach noticed her and promptly trotted over, sniffed her hand, then got up on her hind legs and wrapped her front paws around Kahva's waist. She opened her mouth a bit, showing her teeth and rubbed them against Kahva's side.

"It's gonna bite her!" Ann squeaked. Kahva laughed and proceeded to scratch behind the cub's ears.

"_She_ is Casach, and she's only playing, she's not going to bite me, she's a sweet kitty." Sheena couldn't hold her laughter back anymore.

"Leave it to Kahva to call a cheetah a kitty'. And she's right, Casach is playing, though I'm surprised, I didn't think Casach would be this playful so soon with a stranger."

"Casach knows I'm a cat person. Casach," she looked the cub straight in the eyes, "you're a little too big for me to handle you hugging me while I'm standing, I'm a bit too tired right now, so I need you to get down, okay?" Casach tilted her head, closed her mouth and nuzzled Kahva's side quickly before getting down on all fours. The cheetah followed Kahva back to where she had been sitting and as soon as Kahva had settled back down, Casach laid down beside her and started to purr loudly. "You want some pizza?" Kahva asked the big cat. They locked eyes, seeming to understand each other on some level. "Okay, which kind?" A moment later she asked, "Billy, could you pass me a slice of the pepperoni pizza? Casach wants that kind."

"How do you know that?" he asked, handing over the slice requested before he quite realized what he was doing.

"She told me." Startled looks from all except Master Madas and Ninjor were the response to Kahva's answer. "Well, not in so many words, but more like a mind picture, a sort of feeling from her." Sheena gazed at her in wonder.

"Kahva - you realize you're saying you can talk' to her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am, though understand' might be a better may to describe it. I didn't exactly have a conversation with her." Kahva was rubbing Casach's stomach now, the cheetah had gulped down the pizza slice and was purring louder than ever. "By the way Billy, Casach liked the pizza, she's thanking you with her purring." Tommy finally found his voice at that point.

"Kahva, doesn't this strike you as odd? That you can understand a cheetah?"

"Yeah, but after everything else this week, this is a nice kind of odd, I like it. That, and odd' seems to be the norm in this dimension, so why fight it?"

Master Madas smiled broadly at that point. "Looks like the booster' I brought for the medicine is proving to be medicine in and of herself. I think Casach has a new friend." Casach laid her head in Kahva's lap, as if to prove the _ki-see_ master right. Things soon settled back down to normal after Ninjor revealed that one of the gifts some of Elysia's family was rumored to have was the ability to understand some animals. All the young people spent the next few hours getting to know each other, talking late into the night. Somewhere before midnight, Ninjor and Master Madas started to excuse themselves, but Madas stopped as he got to Daniel and Kahva.

"May I please check your injuries, my dear?" he softly asked Kahva. As everyone watched, the kindly old man carefully examined her arms and legs, then checked Daniel. Silently he crossed behind a console and pulled two small gourds out of his pouch he had left there. "This is a very special medicine, given only in serious cases of illness or injury. The reason for that, is because one of its ingredients is water from the Mystic Springs on Eltar. The Springs were destroyed fifteen thousand years ago, this medicine was part of the last batch made before they were destroyed by Rita Repulsa. There is only a small pool of water left where the Springs used to be, so no more of this medicine has been made since that time. These gourds were grown by the Springs back then, they are the only things that can transport the water of the Mystic Springs without the water losing its healing properties. These are the last two doses I have, but you both need them very much. Please, drink, and I think you will both feel much better." Daniel and Kahva started to refuse, saying someone else might need the medicine more, but Madas persuaded them to accept.

Daniel and Kahva thanked him and took the medicine, it had no taste, but it was cool and soothing to their throats. Within seconds, there was a visible change as the medicine started to work on both of them. Daniel's black eye faded considerably, the color returned to his face, his split lip healed nearly completely. The bruises on his arms and legs from fighting with the Cogs over the course of their imprisonment faded almost completely away. But the most dramatic change was in Kahva. The fingerprint bruises on her face went from a dark purple-black to a lighter purple, the color started to return to her face a bit. As the others watched, her arms, which had been almost black from the bruises, healed a great deal right before their eyes. Her upper arms still were badly bruised, but looked much better than before. Her legs also healed quite a bit, some bruises were still present, but their condition was greatly improved. Even some of the cuts that both Kahva and Daniel had borne disappeared, or at least healed considerably. Both former captives immediately felt stronger, and as an amazed Billy and Alpha ran scans on them, it was discovered that neither one was dehydrated any longer. Kahva stood up and hugged the _ki-see_ master. "How can we ever repay you? You've worked a miracle here! Thank you so much," she hugged him again. Master Madas almost seemed to blush at the attention.

"It was the least I could do. Now, neither one of you are completely healed, please realize that. You both need plenty of rest and food to completely regain your strength and to heal the rest of the way, you must not overexert yourselves. It may well be a week before both of you are back to normal, but the medicine has healed the worst of the damage." Sheena got up and hugged her teacher as well, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Master. You've given me back a new friend and my soul-sister. I don't have the words to tell you how I feel, all I can say is thank you so very much."

Madas smiled kindly at her. "All I did was bring the medicine, my dear. Now, I think Casach may want to stay with Kahva here, she seems rather attached to her." All laughed at that, for Casach had her tail wrapped around Kahva's ankle. "So I will take my leave and return to Eltar, I shall be back tomorrow for the wedding." Ninjor also said his good-byes to the group, promising to be back for the wedding also. Sheena was about to have her friends teleported to the cabin, when Zordon said they could stay there at the Power Chamber for the night. After quarters were assigned, the Rangers all excused themselves except for Billy, with everyone planning to meet at Billy's house for breakfast the next morning at his parents' invitation. Billy and Sheena made sure everyone was settled in before going back to the main chamber, where Daniel and Kahva were talking, and playing with Casach. Sheena knelt at Kahva's side while Billy became better acquainted with the playful cheetah.

"Kahva? Could I have a moment with you?"

"Sure, Sheena. I'll be back, you two," she told Daniel and Casach. Kahva followed Sheena back to her private quarters in the Power Chamber, her curiosity growing with each step. "So what's up? What's going on, Sheena?" she asked as Sheena shut the door to her bedroom.

Sheena sighed and looked at Kahva, studying her improved condition since taking the marvelous medicine Master Madas had brought from Eltar. She nodded, apparently having made up her mind about something. "There's something I've wanted to ask you ever since you nearly fell into our laps Monday afternoon. But I was afraid to, not knowing how long you would be here, if it would be fair to you or not, or if you would think me selfish for asking, when all you wanted that first night was to go back home... And then after we got the two of you out of the Machine Skybase, I didn't think you'd be strong enough. But after what the medicine has done... I have to ask." Sheena paused and opened up her closet door. Her hand froze in the air, she was unsure if she was doing the right thing, but she finally pulled a dark sapphire dress out of the closet. "I got this at the same time as the bridesmaid dresses, everybody wondered why I had an extra one. They assumed I had someone in mind for it, which I guess I did. I guess there was a part of me that hoped somehow, someway, you could be my maid of honor. Will you Kahva? Will you be my maid of honor?" Sheena waited anxiously for her soul-sister's answer. _ Is she ready for this, am I asking too much, too soon?_

Kahva smiled broadly and laughed with delight. "Just try and stop me!" She immediately tried on the dress. "It's a bit loose, I guess I've lost some weight with everything that's happened. But it still fits, though! Let's go show Billy and Daniel," she suggested, after donning the hose and matching shoes Sheena had also purchased. They went out to the main chamber to show off the dress, only to find that all of their friends were back in there, already dressed for bed, with their robes wrapped snugly around them. They all had their pillows and sleeping bags with them as well.

"Well, since everybody's here, except for the other Rangers, I guess we can tell almost everyone at the same time," Sheena chuckled as Casach got up to sniff the new dress, then went behind Sheena to play with her hair again. "Kahva is going to be my maid of honor tomorrow!" Kahva twirled slowly and carefully, showing off the beautiful outfit, then stopped in front of Daniel.

"What do you think?"

"I think that if there's any dancing at this wedding, that I want the first one with you, gorgeous," he grinned. The dress was cocktail length with a sweetheart neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves that hid the worst of her remaining bruises. Sheena smiled broadly and Billy moved to hug his soon to be official' wife.

"I guess the great mystery of who's going to be Sheena's maid of honor' is finally solved. The others will get a real kick out of it when they find out." Billy kissed Sheena then, and they lost themselves in it for a while until Todd cleared his throat.

"I think the you may now kiss your bride' part is supposed to come tomorrow?" he teased. Melissa grinned as she looked at her watch.

"Well, if the time isn't too different over here, tomorrow' is only about thirty minutes away, you know. And the groom isn't supposed to see the bride on the wedding day before the wedding," she added.

"Actually, I think it's that he isn't supposed to see her in her wedding dress before the wedding," Ann chimed in. Billy laughed, he liked Sheena's friends.

"Are you guys trying to get rid of me?" Sheena wrinkled her nose at the group and grinned.

"They can't, I won't let them," she joked. "What are you guys all doing out here anyway? I thought you were all going to bed."

Josh put on his best sad puppy look, "But big sister, we can't sleep, we're too excited!"

"Yeah, Sheena," Jaycynda chimed in. We haven't seen you in two years, Kahva was gone for almost a week, we're in a different dimension and you expect us to sleep! No way, girl!" Sheena laughed, it was so good to have all of her friends with her on the eve of her wedding. After Kahva changed back into her T-shirt and shorts, Sheena settled down with her friends from her old world. Billy stayed until midnight, getting to know the people who were a second family to his beloved, then excused himself and teleported home. Somewhere around two in the morning, someone noticed that Kahva and Daniel had fallen asleep in each other's arms, propped up against one of the console bases. Josh picked Kahva up and took her back to her infirmary room, while Kenny and Todd got Daniel into his. Neither one of them woke up during the move. Casach took up a post in the hallway between the two rooms. "They make a cute couple, don't they Sheena?"

"They sure do, Jay. I wish Daniel could stay here with her, but it's just too dangerous, too complicated for him right now, and he's still got family and friends back home, a career... Maybe one day things will be different so he can come here to stay. She's waited so long for someone..."

"Just like you. I am so happy for you Sheena, we all are. We wish you could come back, but we understand why you have to stay, why Kahva has to stay."

"Doesn't mean we like it," Josh stated softly as he walked up behind Sheena, "but we understand. And I wouldn't dare try to keep my big sister from the man of her dreams, I know better," he joked. Sheena's heart was full to overflowing with love and joy. All of her friends, old and new, were with her, and would be at her wedding. _Mother Goddess, you have truly blessed me, thank You so much, I can't find the words, but You know my heart, thank You!_

"I love you guys so much!" The friends talked and talked, catching up on two years worth of events. Jaycynda commented on the difference in Sheena, she was stronger, more confident and sure of herself, and the others all agreed that it was a change for the better. Sheena toured the group around the Power Chamber, stopping in the workout room to demonstrate a bit of _ki-see_ to them and explain about the martial art that meant so much to her. Close to five in the morning, everyone finally went to sleep for a little while in the main chamber, but all were up and going again an hour later, rushing to showers and getting dressed to go to Billy's house for breakfast. By eight in the morning, ten excited, and in the case of Kahva and Daniel at least, mildly rested young people materialized a short distance away from Billy's house. To avoid any suspicion, David, with Mr. Trueheart's help, had arranged for two rental cars to transport the group to the house the rest of the way, and Sheena, Daniel and Kahva arrived in the Rad Bug after Alpha teleported it to them. Excitement, chaos and happiness reigned the entire morning as everyone got to know each other and meet Billy's parents and his relatives. A carefully constructed story had been rehearsed at the Power Chamber to avoid any slip-ups in how all of Sheena's friends had been able to arrange to get to Angel Grove for the wedding. Everyone was very happy that Sheena had finally gotten her wish of having her best friend be able to be her maid-of-honor, and that Kahva and Daniel were both strong enough to attend the wedding at all. Kimberly arrived at mid-morning and was introduced to everyone and quietly updated on the events of the week.

By lunch time, things were in full swing as people seemed to appear out of the woodwork. One of Billy's cousins who was supposed to be the ring bearer had gotten sick the night before, so he wasn't able to take part in the wedding. When Master Madas arrived and heard about it, he suggested that Casach could possibly take the child's place. There was some concern when it was learned that Casach was a cheetah, but Madas assured Billy's family that Casach was tame and would cause no trouble. Madas was introduced as an adopted uncle of Sheena's, so no one questioned it when Sheena changed her plans from walking in alone to being escorted by Madas. Ninjor arrived a short time later, as well as Dex and the Treys. All, like Madas, had arrived dressed in Earth clothing, and had temporarily taken more Earth-like names, since the only obvious aliens expected at the wedding were the Alien Rangers. Dex had helped to get the Earth clothes for the others, and Kat, Tanya and Kim disguised the Treys' tattoos with makeup before they made their grand entrance. Casach entertained all by romping about the Cranstons' back yard, acting very much like an overgrown kitten, then impressed everyone as Madas had her practice carrying the ring bearer's pillow. Mrs. Cranston had attached a couple of silver and dark blue ribbons for a handle, so Casach could carry the pillow easily in her mouth.

Eventually the group made its way to the Juice Bar and Gym, which had been beautifully set up for the wedding. White roses and silver and blue ribbons adorned the room, it didn't even seem like the same place. There were white candles in white candleholders, lush green ferns were everywhere. The florists were making the last-minute arrangements, checking to make sure everything was properly placed. On a run back to her car, Kat spotted Stephanie, the girl who had been so enthralled with Tommy's kata a few days before. Only now, Tommy was with the other guys, teasing Rocky about his monkey suit', not performing a kata of any sort, and still she was staring at him. "I'm going to have to have a talk with her, looks like," Kat muttered under her breath. She forced a smile at the blonde girl, then hurried back to where the others were getting ready.

As she entered, Kat felt she had an idea of where the term bridesmaid' may have come from. All of Sheena's maids' were fussing about, getting the bride ready. Sheena hadn't yet put on the beautiful bridal gown once worn by Zordon's late wife Elysia, but even simply hanging, it seemed to have a life of its own, glinting slightly in the light of the room. "Here's the beads, sorry I forgot them the first go around, Kahva." Kahva grinned and took the strands of faux pearls.

"With everything that's happened this week, I think we did good not to forget the bride."

"No way you're going to forget me, ladies! I've waited far too long for this moment to be forgotten now," Sheena declared. She looked over at Kim, who was supervising everyone's makeup. "I'm so glad all of you could be here, I'm so glad this day is finally here! Billy and I are going to be married!"

"Again," Kat, Tanya and Kim all said at the same time, laughing. Kim pulled up a chair and sat in front of Sheena, while Kahva got behind the anxious bride and started brushing out her hair. "Stay still for a while Sheena, or else you'll look like you're wearing war paint, not expertly' applied makeup," Kim teased. "Kahva, I'll get you next, we'll see if we can't hide those bruises on your face a little bit."

"Thanks, Kimberly," Kahva smiled shyly. It was taking her a little while to get used to yet another character from a TV show being real, and right in front of her. _ How did Sheena get used to this? _ she wondered. "I've never really worn much makeup.

"My pleasure, and please, call me Kim. Man, we're a K' club here, Kahva, Kat, Kim... if we had another K' name, we'd be driving everybody crazy," the former Pink Ranger laughed. She watched as Kahva deftly wove the faux pearl strands into Sheena's hair as she braided it. "Are you sure you've never been in a wedding before? I've never seen anyone weave anything into someone's hair like that, unless they've done it a lot." Jaycynda, Cindy, Ann and Melissa made their way into the room at that time.

"Never a real' wedding, anyway," Jaycynda laughed. "But believe it or not, our quiet little Kahva was in drama in high school and college."

"And if there was a show where someone needed their hair braided, Kahva was the one called on for help. Jay was in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers' in college, she was one of the brides. The brides' had a really fast costume change and had to put their hair up somehow. Kahva was timed, she got Jay's hair braided and pinned up in under a minute. The girl's a miracle worker," Cindy declared. Sheena, makeup now finished, turned to Kahva and hugged her.

"She's a miracle, period. Are you sure you're up to this? Everyone will understand if you're not strong enough yet."

Kahva grinned at Sheena, seeming more like her old self, surrounded by friends old and new. "Yes, I'm doing this, we promised each other, remember? I'm also sure of one other thing."

"What's that?"

"That if you start getting all mushy right now, you'll ruin Kim's makeup job, and if you don't turn back around, I'll never finish the last of this braid!" All the girls laughed and continued to get ready, there was nothing that could spoil their festive mood.

* * *

"Hey, Billy, it's an hour till the wedding, how are you holding up?" Jason called to the young groom. Billy was sitting by a window, staring into space. "Billy? You okay, man?"

"Huh?" he replied distractedly. "Oh yeah, one hour. I'll be ready."

"Billy, what's wrong?"

Billy sighed, then looked past Jason to see if anyone else was nearby. "Mom and Dad got a call from Zack last night. He, Trini and Aisha are all stuck at Heathrow Airport because of bad weather. They said they were trying to arrange another flight from somewhere else, to try and get around it, but..." Billy frowned and shook his head, "They were hoping that Zordon and Alpha could teleport them in, and ordinarily, they could, but not today, thanks to Mondo."

"What do you mean?"

"Mondo's being a royal pain, that's what! He's not only jamming our regular teleportation and communications, but he's put a force field around the Power Chamber, we can't get in. Nothing's wrong in the Power Chamber, it's just that no one can get in or out. The only thing that seems to be getting in is the signal from the little transmitter I've got hidden near the altar. So at least Zordon and Alpha can see and hear the wedding like we'd hoped. At least, I think they can."

Jason frowned, "What about the Rad Bug? It's not tied into the Power Chamber's systems, can't we use it to get in, or get the others?"

Billy's face was crestfallen. "I've already tried that. Tried it right after I found I couldn't contact the Power Chamber, in fact. The Rad Bug just bounces off of the force field. And that was after the Quadrafighters took a few shots at me. Mondo is doing this deliberately. He wants us to try and use the Rad Bug, we're better targets in it. He can't launch an attack with all of us here, I mean, you've got us, the Aquitians are here, so is Dex, and even though the Treys don't have the Gold Ranger powers anymore, they are still highly trained warriors. Mondo wouldn't stand a chance against all of us. But if one of us takes off in the Rad Bug, we're sitting ducks."

"Which means no getting into the Power Chamber for now, or bringing Zack, Trini or Aisha here."

"Exactly. I've not told the others yet, figured I shouldn't bring everyone else down." Billy hit the wall lightly with his fist. "I guess you can't have everything go the way you want it to at a wedding, huh? Look, you guys need to start seating the guests, I promise I'll cheer up. And after the wedding, I'll let the others know what Mondo's done." Jason got up to leave, he hadn't seen or heard Billy this down in a long while. He took one last look at the Sapphire Ranger: the saddest guy in Angel Grove on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life.

"Maybe something will break loose," he offered. Billy merely nodded and returned to staring out the window. Jason left him and started to wander about the outside of the Juice Bar, not paying attention to where he was going until he nearly stepped on a beautiful brunette in a sapphire blue dress.

"I take it that all is not well on the western front?" Kahva tried to joke.

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Oh, just the storm clouds on your face. What's wrong?" Jason quickly explained the situation to her, and soon she was frowning too.

"I just wish that we could do something, you know? But everything's jammed."

"Maybe not everything..."

* * *

"It's thirty minutes until we start, where is she?" Sheena asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. Kahva had disappeared without a trace, all sorts of scenarios ran through the Silver Ranger's mind as she imagined countless ways she could've fallen into Mondo's hands again.

"Where's who?" came the voice she'd been wanting to hear for the past half-hour.

"Where have you been?" Sheena demanded, then hugged her soul-sister. "I've been worried sick!"

"Oh, just taking care of some maid of honor stuff." Kahva grinned rather wickedly, then frowned and rubbed her temples.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I guess this shifting' stuff takes more out of you than I first realized."

"Shifting?"

"That's what Billy started calling it this morning. Unless somebody can come up with a better name, that's what I'm sticking with. Now come on, you're getting married in less than thirty minutes!"

"But what were you taking care of?"

"You'll see soon enough..."

* * *

Billy stood in his place, Adam beside him, looking out over the crowd. The Justice of the Peace had walked in to signal the start of the ceremony, and his friends were all lined up just out of sight, waiting for their moment to walk in. _I really wish Zack, Trini and Aisha could've been here. At least Mondo isn't attacking, if he has any common sense he won't attack anywhere on Earth, he'd have too many of us to deal with if he did. _ Billy mentally shook his head to clear his gloomy thoughts, Sheena had already picked up on them through their link, he knew, she'd be asking him later what was wrong. _ Snap out of it, this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life! Mondo wrecked the church, but we're having the ceremony here. He kidnapped Kahva and Daniel, but we rescued them, and thanks to Master Madas' medicine, they are well on their way to recovery, and Kahva can get Daniel home, and their old friends. Everything Mondo's done has failed, except for blocking Zack, Trini and Aisha's way here. They'll see the tape we'll send, and more importantly, they're safe, everybody's safe. _Billy kept up the smile he'd glued to his face, he was determined not to bring everyone down. Adam was standing next to him, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Hey, I thought I was the one getting married, what are you grinning about?" he whispered to his best man.

"Oh, nothing much, just looking out at everyone who's here. I think the guest list is filled, take a look," Adam softly indicated the crowd with a slight nod of his head. Billy finally let his gaze roam over the assembly, it was a rather large crowd. Ernie was roaming the back of the congregation, making sure everything was running smoothly. Nearly all of Billy's family had been able to come, and several family friends, some who he had no clue as to who they were. All of his friends were there, even his ex-girlfriends were there, he noticed, spotting Melissa, who was reading lips and had a friend signing to her what she couldn't see, and Marge, Laura and Violet were there too. Even Tamara, who he had met when she'd come as the student head of the World Teen Peace Conference, and had kept in touch with was there, she was currently attending Angel Grove University. The Alien Rangers were all there, sitting on his side, while Ninjor, Dex and the Treys had taken Sheena's side of the room. All of Sheena's old friends were there, excited and happy at their friend getting married, Mr. Trueheart and David Trueheart had chosen to sit on her side as well. Even Bulk, Skull and Detective Stone were there, having picked Sheena's side to sit on also.

_Glad they did that, Sheena doesn't know many people here, _ he thought. He even saw Zack, Trini and Aisha sitting on her side... "What?" he squeaked, barely remembering to whisper. Adam chuckled softly as Billy's eyes went wide. The three former Rangers beamed at him, giving quick little waves. As Tommy made his way up the aisle, he was grinning at the shocked groom. "How did they get here, they were stranded by the storm, and Mondo was watching for the Rad Bug... how?"

"Tommy, should I tell him?" Adam whispered as Tommy walked past.

"He's our main brain' as Zack would say, let him figure it out." Rocky was walking up then, his grin as big as the others.

"See someone familiar?" the Blue Ranger mouthed the words to Billy.

"But how..." Billy's whisper trailed off as Jason walked up with a smile that beat all the others cold. A wink was his only reply to the question on Billy's face. "He didn't..." Billy started to whisper again to Adam.

"Well, he did have a little help. They told us when they got back here with them."

"They?" _How did he get the Rad Bug started, I still have the keys!_ Billy was completely floored, he hadn't expected this miracle. The flower girl had just walked up, dropping white rose petals along the way, now Casach was trotting up as the ring bearer. There were a few gasps in the crowd as they caught sight of the cheetah for the first time, but everyone had been told as they came in that there was a wild animal in the ceremony, so no one panicked. Then Sheena's bridesmaids walked in, Kim first, then Tanya and Kat after her, filling in their line, building up to the place where the maid of honor and the bride would stand. Each girl was grinning as much as the guys had been. Then Kahva walked in, causing a few murmurs of her own. Her steps were slow and careful, but not too slow. Nearly everyone gathered there had seen the news report the night before of Kahva and Daniel's rescue by the Power Rangers, and had made their own individual conclusions of how bad a shape they had been in. Billy was relieved when his mom had told him at lunch that most people thought the dirt and torn clothes had made them look in worse shape than perhaps they'd really been in._ If they only knew. Master Madas' medicine has helped her and Daniel get close to the condition people had assumed they were really in under the dirt and grime and torn clothes. But we can't hide everything,_ he noted regretfully. Even though the girls had taken in Kahva's dress, her weight loss was still noticeable. Kim's makeup job had camouflaged the remaining bruises on her face somewhat, but they and the dark circles under her eyes from lack of proper sleep were slightly visible, if you knew where to look. What the people in the congregation could really see was the evident weight loss, a slight tiredness to her step, and the bruises that peeked out from underneath her sleeves. The flowers she carried, however, hid them most of the time, and the worst were hidden under her sleeves, he knew. The neckline of the dress revealed no bruises, the dark hose that the girls all wore hid the ones that remained on her legs. _ All in all, we're the only ones who really know, and that's how we all wanted it, especially Kahva. _Kahva's shy smile grew broad and even impish as she got closer to Billy, then she quickly stole a sideways glance at Jason. _That's how they got here! _ Billy broke with protocol and gave her a quick hug before she took her position. "Thank you both," he whispered in her ear.

You're welcome, but we'd better break this up, or people will start to talk," she replied teasingly. Kahva took her place and looked back at the ivy-covered arch they had all entered through. The Justice of the Peace smiled at the bridal party, then motioned for the congregation to rise. The Wedding March sounded, and Billy finally saw his true love in the archway, escorted by Master Madas.

The silvery-white gown shimmered and seemed to glow as Sheena slowly and elegantly walked down the aisle, holding a bouquet of silver-white roses and sapphire-blue geraniums. The very sight of her took his breath away. Her hair had been put into a long braid with strands of faux pearls interwoven with the braid, which was coiled once atop her head, then the rest of it cascaded down her back. Wisps of hair curled around her face, framing her lovely visage, tiny pieces of baby's breath formed a natural tiara. She was wearing the pearl earrings his mother had given her, he spotted them under her veil. His heart felt as though it would leap from his chest with all the love he had for her, she was the most beautiful, loving woman in all the universe... _And she is about to become my wife in front of everyone here, we won't have to hide it anymore... What did I ever do to deserve her? I love you, _he sent to her. Sheena's smile, and the warmth in his mind and heart told him she had heard him, and not only felt his love, but shared it as well. Billy was so overwhelmed with the magnificent vision standing before him, he almost didn't hear the Justice start the ceremony. The Justice motioned for the assembly to retake their seats, then smiled warmly at the lovely bride standing before him.

"Who accompanies and supports this woman as she makes her journey into the sacred institution of matrimony?"

"Her friends and family, by presence and spirit," Master Madas responded. He lifted Sheena's veil and kissed her cheek lightly, then took his seat. The Justice put Sheena's hand in Billy's, then looked out over the congregation. "Sheena and William have expressed their love for each other and their desire to unite their souls before all those gathered here today. They know that the path of life and love contains challenges. These challenges are not to be seen as stumbling blocks, but as stepping stones. True love and faith guide you on the path of life, and through facing the challenges, love and faith will grow and become stronger. These two souls have chosen to continue their journey together, and today, are honored to pledge their troth before all."

"Billy," Sheena began, "I have loved you from the moment I saw you, my heart is not complete with you in it. You are my life, my light, my joy, you make each day worth living. I will always love you; my heart, my soul is yours, for always and eternity, and beyond."

"Sheena, I cannot imagine my life without you in it. You make me whole, you fill my heart with an indescribable light and joy. I have no words that can express how much you mean to me, that can tell you how much I love you. My heart and soul are yours, for always and eternity, and beyond."

"As much as these two hearts have shown their love for each other, the love of their family and friends is just as important. As they love and support each other, and their loved ones, so must we love and support them. Love, by its very nature, is a gift to be given and shared, and by the giving of it, love grows and strengthens into a bond that cannot be broken." The Justice motioned to a set of three candles behind him. Two were lit, one silvery-white, the other sapphire-blue. "Each of these candles burn brightly on their own, just as the light of these two lives burn brightly as they stand now, separately." Sheena and Billy stepped forward at this point, to each take one of the lit candles. Sheena picked up the silvery-white candle, Billy took the sapphire-blue one. As they moved to the candles, they heard a few stifled giggles from the gathered crowd. After taking the candles, they dared to sneak a peek behind them to see what could be the cause of the laughter. The flower girl, a five-year-old cousin of Billy's, was taking her remaining rose petals and dropping them in front of Casach, who was fascinated by the way they spiraled as they fell. The cheetah was trying to catch them in mid-air with her paws, but having failed that, she was now slapping at them as they hit the floor, quickly pouncing from one petal to the other, being very much like a playful kitten. Sheena saw Kahva shake her head slightly at the friendly big cat, and Casach reluctantly gave up her play and sat by Kahva's side. As Sheena turned back to Billy, she saw that he was on the verge of laughter himself. They both faced the Justice, who was trying his best to stay serious, but a grin was playing at the corners of his mouth also. He cleared his throat quietly and continued, "With the lighting of the Unity Candle, which represents two flames joining together as one, Sheena and William show before all here today that they are joining their lives together." At the same time, Billy and Sheena held their candles to the Unity Candle, which had been specially made for them. It was a dual-colored candle, with the colors silver-white and sapphire-blue twined together in a spiral.

"Together forever, forever together, always and eternity," they said, lighting the Unity Candle, then blowing out their individual candles afterwards. The Justice took their rings from Adam and Kahva, holding the silver bands up for all to see. Sheena's ring had several tiny sapphire stones set flush into the band, while Billy's ring bore a single brilliant sapphire.

"The circle represents eternity, the unending bond that cannot be broken," he said, as he handed the bands to Sheena and Billy.

Sheena put Billy's ring on his hand, "With this ring, I take you as my beloved husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor and cherish with all my heart and soul, till death and beyond."

Then Billy put Sheena's on hers. "With this ring, I take you as my beloved wife, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor and cherish with all my heart and soul, till death and beyond."

"Together forever, forever together, always and eternity," they pledged once more in unison, their love for each other shining through their eyes for all to see.

"These two young people have pledged their eternal love and devotion to each other, and have shown this by the giving and receiving of rings, in front of all these witnesses. Therefore, by the powers vested in me by this state, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife. Let no one tear asunder, what true love has brought together this day. William, you may now kiss your bride." There were cheers and giggles as the couple finally ended a kiss that had a few in the crowd jokingly fanning themselves. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. William Cranston."

* * *

"NO! How dare they be happy! Klank!"

"Yes, sire?" Klank sighed. _ Maybe I should apply for a job with Zedd or Rita... no, her screaming is actually worse than the King's yelling. Oh, well, what's another new set of audio receptors?_ Klank shuffled into the throne room, he'd vainly tried to stay away from his master, but since Mondo had dismantled every Cog unfortunate enough to have ventured into the throne room over the past twenty-four hours, Klank had no choice but to come when summoned. It was the only way to find out what he was supposed to do next. _The humans have a saying don't shoot the messenger'. Mondo's been shooting them and ripping them up before he even gives them the message to start with._

"Have you made any progress in getting our systems back online? I want to destroy those Rangers!"

"No, sire, we're lucky that we can block their teleportation and communications at all. The Sapphire Ranger fed a virus into our system that has wiped out or scrambled most of our files. And I can't keep the virus from getting into -" A low-pitched electronic moan interrupted Klank, followed by a flickering of lights. The majordomo checked a monitor near the throne, one of the few still operational. "We've just lost our block. They can communicate with the Power Chamber and teleport again. The force field we placed around the Power Chamber is gone as well."

"At least we were able to keep their former Ranger friends from attending the wedding... NO! How did they get there!" Mondo screamed. Klank looked at the flickering viewscreen Mondo was raging at and saw Zack, Trini and Aisha hugging and congratulating Billy and Sheena. "I thought you said they couldn't break our block, if it has only just gone down, how did they get there!"

Klank cleared his throat nervously, Mondo wouldn't like his theory. "The only way I can think of sire, is that the child has discovered she can open dimensional portals. Remember, her ancestor altered Vile's spell that would have cast his family into one of the wizard's dark dimensions. It is possible that she can open portals, it was one of the things you had hoped she could do for you -"

"I know that, Klank! She should be too weak to do anything though!" Mondo continued to growl at the images on his viewscreen. Most of his weapons were inoperable, thanks to the virus Billy had fed into his system, his device he had used to bring Kahva Briton over was destroyed, along with the blueprints for it that had been kept on file in the computer. "The child has brought their friends to make them happy, her powers should've been mine. The Silver Ranger was in my grasp, she should've been mine. The Gold Ranger helped them, his powers should've been mine a long time ago. And that irritating Sapphire Ranger, Billy, has single-handedly crippled my forces with a computer virus. You should have discovered that the Sapphire powers had not been claimed, you should have found them for me before he took them! His powers should've been mine too! All of their powers should've been mine to command! They will all pay, I swear it! The price must be paid for what they have done, and the Silver Ranger will be the first to feel my wrath! I will have my revenge!" Mondo stormed off, leaving a relieved Klank in his wake.

"At least he didn't yank my arm off again," he muttered to himself. There was an odd silence from the hallway Mondo had disappeared into, Klank wandered down it to check on his master. "Sire? Are you all right, sire?" There was no answer, nor any sign of the Machine King. "I wonder where he went? Sire?"

* * *

The reception was now in full swing, Sheena had never shaken so many hands in her life, she'd decided. Kahva had been standing beside her in the receiving line after the ceremony, politely smiling, but Sheena could feel her unease. Only Sheena's occasional grabbing of Kahva's arm when she appeared about to bolt, and Casach's taking a post between Kahva and Sheena had kept the girl from disappearing. The big cat had wrapped her tail protectively around Kahva's ankle, her purring had seemed to provide some comfort to the shy maid of honor._ She's never been good in crowds like this, when she has felt she was an object of attention. I don't think she realized how many people were going to be here. I didn't realize how many people were going to be here._ Some of the guests had tried not to look at the bruises on Kahva's arms while in the receiving line, but most had not been successful, which had made her even more ill at ease. Sheena scanned the crowd for her best friend, and to her relief, spotted her by Tommy and Kat. Everyone was enjoying the food, since the wedding had started in the mid-afternoon, a light meal was being served, but it was still mainly finger foods. As Sheena made her way to part of her wedding party, she could hear Kahva laughing softly. _Good, around us, people she knows, she's relaxing a bit again._ "How's everything, you guys having fun?"

Tommy, sitting by Kat, looked up at his cousin and smiled. "Everything's great! I don't think anyone's going to forget _this_ wedding for quite a while," he laughed.

"Josh and Jaycynda were here with us, they left to go through the food line again, you just missed them," Kahva informed her.

Sheena grinned, then frowned as she noticed Kahva hadn't eaten anything, and only had a cup of punch in her hand. "Aren't you going to eat something?"

"Later. I was afraid to try solid food just yet, but I might get one of the soft sandwiches later and try it. The punch is nice, not too sweet."

"Yeah, you and Daniel need to take it slow, don't rush yourselves," Kat agreed. She stopped to scratch Casach's ears, the cat had been resting her chin on Tommy's knee for some time now. "Though Casach might be getting hungry, she'd been staring at Tommy for the longest time."

Tommy laughed and petted the cheetah. "Are you hungry, Casach? You want some food?" The cat's only response was a throaty purr as Tommy continued to pet her. "Kahva, is she hungry? I don't know if wedding cake is good for a cheetah, but I'm sure we can find something."

Kahva looked at the big cat, Casach turned to look at her before she even spoke. "Are you hungry, Casach?" They locked eyes for a few moments, then Kahva giggled and shook her head. "No, she's not exactly hungry," she said as Billy's mom approached the group.

"What do you mean, not exactly'?" Tommy asked. Kahva shook her head and grinned as Mrs. Cranston reached the young people.

"Sheena, it's time to toss the bouquet, and Billy needs to toss the garter."

"Duty calls," Sheena cheerfully replied. "All single ladies and gentlemen gather around, and that includes you guys," she pointed to Tommy, Kat and Kahva. "Come on, you need to scout out your spots!" Tommy and Kat placed their plates on a nearby chair, but as Kat stood up, she noticed that Casach had yet to take her chin off of Tommy's knee.

Kahva turned back to them, "Casach, Tommy needs to stand, you need to move." Kat could've sworn the cheetah sighed in disappointment. "Oh, by the way Tommy," Kahva tossed over her shoulder as the Red Ranger was finally able to stand, "Casach thinks you're cute."

Kat showed Tommy a mock frown and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Another female staring at you, I swear I can't take you anywhere, Tommy!"

"What did I do?" Tommy hurried to keep up with Kat. _ I'll never understand women,_ he decided. He was extra sure of it as Kat kissed him before taking a place in the group of single women gathered to catch the wedding bouquet. _I'll definitely never understand women. A cheetah thinks I'm cute?_ His attention was drawn to the cluster of women waiting for Sheena to toss the bouquet over her shoulder. Kahva hadn't joined the group, but Kim and Tanya pulled her into their midst, the newcomer now surrounded by past and present Rangers, and her female friends from the other dimension. Sheena closed her eyes and tossed the bouquet in a high arc over her shoulder. Everyone was ready to catch it except for Kahva, so she was quite surprised when it landed on her head, then fell into her hands. Everyone cheered and the girls congratulated her as the guys took their place for the garter toss. Much like Kahva had, Daniel found himself surrounded by his new friends as Billy threw the garter over his shoulder, sling-shot style. The garter bounced between Jason and Daniel, landing in Jason's hands, out of sight of the crowd. He quickly pressed it into Daniel's hand, then raised the man's arm for the crowd to see.

"You didn't have to do that," Daniel told Jason after pictures were taken of the newlyweds with Daniel and Kahva.

"I know, but after Kahva caught the bouquet, it seemed the only right thing to do."

"Thanks, Jason." A slow song started up then, Daniel quickly found Kahva and led her to the dance floor. Billy had been looking for Sheena, but after he couldn't find her, he went to the dance floor with Trini.

Sheena herself had been looking for Billy, but a cold hand on her arm halted her search. "Hello, my dear Silver Ranger. But I suppose I should call you Mrs. Cranston now, right?" a vaguely familiar voice floated to her.

"Zimmer! What are you doing here? How did you get here, the only person I knew of that was coming from Eltar was Master Madas." She looked at the tall thin man, he still struck her as being a bit odd, but harmless enough.

"I quietly arranged my own transportation, I didn't want to create a fuss. I hoped to be able to see you today, I've been thinking about your nuptials ever since we first met at the museum."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, why did you pretend to be the curator? You must've known I would find out at some point and time that you weren't." Zimmer smiled and explained his reasons, never letting go of her hand the entire time. "Oh," he said, as if a thought had just occurred to him, "I believe that there is an old Earth custom that the male guests are supposed to kiss the new bride for good luck? May I keep that tradition, please?" Sheena studied him for a moment, her stomach jumped and tightened slightly, she almost told him no._ I'm being silly, he couldn't hurt a fly. Besides, what harm could a little kiss do? _Sheena nodded her consent, and Zimmer softly kissed her cheek. Some part of her mind noted his lips were as cold as his hands. "Thank you, my dear. I wish you happiness with your true love in the future."

After a while, Sheena relaxed a bit, he was odd, but harmless, she was sure. "Oh, I'm forgetting my manners, I should introduce you to Billy, wait here," she urged him. Sheena set off to find her new husband, but stumbled across Kahva instead. "Kahva, have you seen Billy? There's someone from Eltar I want him to meet, you too." Sheena turned back to look where she'd left Zimmer. "Now where did he go? I'm losing men left and right here!" she joked.

"Don't know about your man from Eltar, but I haven't seen Billy since a bunch of us went out to the dance floor, but I think he was looking for you. There's Kat," Kahva pointed to the bridesmaid just a few yards away. "Maybe she's seen him. Hey Kat!" she called to the blonde girl. "Have you seen Billy anywhere?"

"No, not since Tommy and I went to dance, but I'll look for him and let him know his wife is hunting for him," Kat grinned.

"And that she's recruiting reinforcements," Kahva joked as she and Sheena left to continue their search for the Sapphire Ranger. Kat scanned the crowd, she didn't see Billy anywhere. She did spot Tommy and David off to one side, talking and laughing.

"Maybe they've seen him," she said to herself. Before she could go to them, however, a light touch on her arm pulled her attention to a familiar young blonde. "Oh, hello. Stephanie, right? You're in some of Rocky's classes? I'm Katherine Hillard." _And I hadn't planned on talking to you just yet._

"Hi, you're right, I'm Stephanie Millar. Umm, can I ask you a few questions? If it's not a bad time, that is."

_Guess I might as well take care of this problem right now, _Kat thought. "Sure, I've got a few minutes, ask away."

"That guy who escorted you out at the end of the wedding, who is he?"

_Oh great, she is after Tommy._ "Tommy Oliver." _ How do I politely tell her to back off?_

"Tommy Oliver, hmm. Am I crazy, or is he related to David Trueheart?"

Now this wasn't what she had expected. "Yes, they're brothers."

Stephanie smiled triumphantly at that. "I thought so! I thought at first when Tommy was doing that wonderful kata earlier this week that he was David, until I got a good look at him. David's in some of my classes. Is Tommy a nice guy?"

"Well, yes, he is," Kat answered, not quite sure where the conversation was heading. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Stephanie started, "I was hoping that maybe he could introduce me to David. I have to admit, I've got a really big crush on the guy, and I'd love to talk to him, but I haven't been able to think of anything to say to him in our classes, I get too nervous to even say hi, so I was hoping that maybe Tommy would make an introduction."

Kat smiled broadly at the girl. "I think I can take care of that, come with me." Kat escorted the blonde over to the brothers and quickly made the introductions. "David, why don't you keep Stephanie company, Tommy, I need you to help me track down Billy, Sheena and Kahva were hunting for him." Kat snagged Tommy's arm and pulled him away before either brother could quite recover. Stephanie gave Kat a smile and small wave from behind David's back, Kat grinned and waved back. The exchange didn't get by Tommy unnoticed.

"Now what was that about?"

"She was staring at you earlier this week when you were doing the _ki-see_ kata because she thought you were _David,_" Kat replied.

Realization dawned a second later. "So she was... hang on a sec, I'll be right back," Tommy told Kat. He quickly stepped back over to his brother, whispered something in his ear, then walked back to Kat, leaving his bewildered brother with the attractive blonde-haired Stephanie. "Got him," Tommy grinned as he returned.

"Say what?"

"Payback," Tommy smiled. "I told him that Stephanie was the hungry she-wolf Kahva warned me about Tuesday. And that he'd better be careful, or Kahva would be checking the back of _his_ neck for teethmarks!" Tommy laughed and gave Kat a quick kiss. "I love you, have I told you that lately?"

"Not since just after the wedding, but I won't stop you."

"I love you, Kat. And you don't have to worry about if any human she-wolves or playful female cheetahs think I'm cute, you're the only woman who has my heart." Tommy kissed her again and sighed. "Now, what were we going to do?"

"I think we were going to look for Billy," she giggled. "Oh, there he is! Who's that weird man with him?"

"I don't know, but we'd better let him know that his wife has a search party out for him."

* * *

"Hello there, Mr. Cranston," a cool voice greeted Billy from behind his shoulder. The newly married young man turned and saw a tall, thin man smiling at him. "My name is Zimmer, I met your wife back on Eltar. She wasn't your wife then, naturally, but you know what I mean."

Billy's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the alien world, then a memory came back to him as he shook hands with the odd man. "Oh yes, you're the one who pretended to be the curator of the Power Rangers museum. Why did you do that?" he inquired quietly, so that no one would overhear. _Sheena was wrong when she said his hands were cold, _he thought, remembering the conversation they'd had when Sheena had returned from Eltar._ They're freezing!_

Zimmer smiled apologetically. "She was so beautiful, then when I got a good look at her, I realized she must be the new Silver Ranger. I'm a fan of the Rangers, especially the first Silver Ranger, so I just had to meet her. I was afraid that she wouldn't want to talk to someone who wasn't important. I probably shouldn't have done that, but I had to meet her, I had to make sure she was real." Zimmer shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "You are a very fortunate man, Mr. Cranston. I hope you enjoy your marriage." The strange man shook Billy's hand again and moved away, losing himself in the crowd. Billy shook his head in confusion. Sheena had understated the phony curator's strangeness, he decided. Kat's voice grabbed his attention.

"Hey, Billy! Sheena's looking for you, she's putting together a posse to round you up!" she teased. "Who was that you were talking to?"

"The phony museum curator Sheena met. He has cold hands, he's an odd bird. Seems nice enough though, in a weird way." Billy shook his head and dismissed Zimmer from his mind. "So, I'm being hunted? Show me the way to my wife and I'll gladly surrender."

"Where is that husband of mine?" Sheena asked herself aloud for the twentieth time in five minutes.

Kahva grinned and shook her head. "I don't know, you've misplaced him quite well -" Kahva stopped in mid-sentence and shivered.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Sheena studied Kahva's face, maybe she had been pushing herself too hard by staying so long at the reception.

"I think so... it's just..."

"What?"

Kahva sighed and tried to put her feelings into words. "Remember back on Tuesday, when I told you I could feel someone's eyes on us?"

"Yeah, it was Mondo, we know from what you and Daniel told us that he had Shifter following us."

Kahva nodded and continued, "Well, Mondo's a machine, so he can't have any feelings, not like an organic being, anyway. Right?"

Sheena frowned. "You'll have to check with Billy on that one. He does seem to feel hatred, that's for sure." Kahva stood still, furrowing her brow and biting her lip.

"Maybe. I don't know, it's just now that I've had a chance to think about it, that feeling I had on Tuesday was more like... I don't know, like someone wanted something."

"Yeah, Mondo wanted you."

"No, it was more like someone wanted _you,_ and I was in the way," Kahva stated. "It was weird, but I realize now that that's how it felt. Doesn't make sense if it was Mondo. And today, I'm getting that feeling again, that eyes are watching us, and it feels like the same thing, person, whatever, but the emotion is different."

"Different how?" Sheena was slightly alarmed now. _ Who could be after me now, after any of us?_

"It's directed at all of us for the most part, I think, it feels like envy. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's what it feels like. I can feel it brushing past me even, it's like threads of something cold going right by me."

"Wait, it feels like someone is envious of us?" Sheena asked. Again Kahva shook her head.

"Envious of us, but not you. And anytime I've been near Billy, it borders on hatred. If this is Mondo, he's sending out weird vibes - well now it's gone!" Kahva stood straight and scanned the crowd, but no one seemed out of place. "Who or whatever it was is gone. Maybe I'm overreacting, forget I said anything. I guess I just need sleep, I'm being paranoid." Sheena hugged Kahva as Billy walked up.

"Heard you were looking for me, everything okay?"

"Now that you're here, yes. I wanted to introduce you to Zimmer, he's here, believe it or not."

"I've already met him, he's weird, but he seemed nice enough." Billy stopped to kiss his new wife on her cheek, then looked at Kahva. "Kahva, are you okay?"

"She's had the feeling that someone's been watching us, but it suddenly stopped, right before you came over," Sheena answered for her. "Can Mondo have feelings, even though he's a machine? Maybe she's picking up on him, I'm sure he's been watching, if your virus left him anything he could watch us on."

"Maybe. He is a machine, but not as we traditionally think of them." A quick beep of their communicators caused Sheena and Billy to look for the other Rangers. All over the gym, Rangers past and present discreetly made their way to their usual corner, this time joined by Kahva. "Billy here, what's up?"

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEDDING, BILLY AND SHEENA. THE TRANSMITTER BILLY CONSTRUCTED FOR US WORKED PERFECTLY, WE WERE ABLE TO SEE AND HEAR THE ENTIRE CEREMONY. THE JAMMING MONDO SET UP BROKE DOWN A FEW MINUTES AGO, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU NOW. TELEPORTATION IS BACK ONLINE, AND THE FORCE FIELD AROUND THE POWER CHAMBER IS ALSO GONE. I SPOTTED ZACK, TRINI AND AISHA IN THE CROWD, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO GET THEM THERE? DID YOU USE THE RAD BUG?

Jason grinned and spoke into his communicator. "It was too risky with the Quadrafighters hanging around, waiting for one of us to do just that, so Kahva and I shifted over to Heathrow Airport and picked them up."

"The only way to travel," Zack chimed in. The Rangers laughed and Billy hugged Kahva again in thanks.

"Looks like Mondo's plans to spoil this day were foiled completely, Zordon," Billy declared.

IT WOULD SEEM SO. AFTER YOUR FESTIVITIES ARE OVER, EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO COME BACK TO THE POWER CHAMBER. KAHVA, SINCE OUR TELEPORTATION IS OPERATIONAL AGAIN, WE CAN TELEPORT ZACK, TRINI AND AISHA BACK TO ENGLAND WHEN THEY ARE READY TO GO. THANK YOU TO YOU AND JASON FOR GOING TO GET THEM, I HOPE IT DID NOT STRAIN YOU TOO BADLY.

"My pleasure, Zordon, and don't worry, I'm fine. I'll just be resting a lot this week, I think." Kahva answered. Zordon wished them all well, then the group returned to the reception, which continued on for another hour.

* * *

Cold eyes watched the festive crowd, a hatred slowly rebuilding as they watched the happy couple and their friends. There would have to be revenge for what had been done. The surveillance was interrupted by a low growl.

"Hello, foolish one. Why do you insist on playing with fire when you refuse to understand the flame?" The cold eyes turned to behold Master Madas standing behind him, and a snarling cheetah by the _ki-see_ master's side.

Angrily came the reply, "Speak plainly, old man, I have no time for your riddles."

Master Madas merely smiled in return. "Ah, but riddles are all you will receive, for lies are all you can weave." Before a retort could be issued, the _ki-see_ master and his cheetah seemed to melt away, as if they had never been there. The eyes turned back to the crowd with a cold, angry lust. Sheena Devereaux Cranston filled the view of the eyes. "Enjoy her while you can, Billy, for soon she'll be mine, forever! In fact, she partially already is..."

* * *

In small groups, the past and present Power Rangers, the Treys and Dex, then Kahva and Sheena's friends from their home world quietly left the reception after Sheena and Billy had publicly left for their honeymoon'. The Alien Rangers followed soon after, then the wedding party and Daniel and David excused themselves. Only Billy's mother knew exactly where they had all disappeared to: the Power Chamber. She had thought she would have to cover for some of them perhaps, but since the reception had been winding down anyway, no one thought anything of it. _Everything appeared perfectly normal, no one knows that my son and some of his friends were and are Power Rangers, _she thought, once back at her home. Her husband Eric and her brother John had left to make a final check on the cabin, they wouldn't be back for a few hours. Helen Cranston found herself in her son's room; it seemed so empty now that she knew he wouldn't be coming back, he had his own home now, his own family. "My only child has left the nest. I hope he and Sheena have a wonderful life together, and that one day, having to fight alien overlords is no longer a part of it," she softly said to herself.

"So do I, Mom."

"Billy!" She hugged her son tightly. "What are you doing here? I thought all of you were at the Power Chamber for a more private gathering. Oh, come with me to the kitchen, I made some more chicken noodle soup for Kahva and Daniel, I noticed neither one of them ate much at the reception, if anything. I'll put it in the thermoses you brought back."

Billy laughed. "You're enjoying having someone to take care of, aren't you? Daniel did finally eat something I think, but I'm sure Kahva could use the soup later, I only saw her drink some punch. Kahva will be shifting all of her friends home later, I think Daniel said he was going to get something to eat then."

"Well, this will save him the trouble, he can take the thermos with him. He's such a nice young man." 

"And you think this not just because he's my double, right?" Billy laughed. "Mom, why don't you come and give the soup to them yourself? That's why I'm here, I know that Dad and Uncle John are supposed to be at the cabin for a while, so no one will know you're gone."

Helen stared at her son. "You don't mean... you want me to come to the Power Chamber?" Billy grinned.

"Yeah, there's some people you need to meet. Let's get the soup, then just stand right beside me." A couple of minutes later, Billy and his mother left from the house in a blaze of sapphire and white light, materializing a few seconds later in the Power Chamber.

GREETINGS, MRS. CRANSTON. I AM ZORDON, WELCOME TO THE POWER CHAMBER. It took a few moments for Helen to get her bearings, she didn't even notice Jason taking the thermoses she and Billy carried. Then she finally saw the source of the friendly booming voice. A little robot shuffled up to her and shook her hand.

"And I am Alpha-5, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cranston," Alpha told her. "Billy and Sheena told us all a few days ago that you had figured out his secret identity."

Helen regained her composure at that point. "Thank you, and I hope you aren't mad at Billy or Sheena about the fact that I know. I had suspected it for a long time, but I wasn't really sure until a few months ago."

Zordon smiled warmly at her. DO NOT BE WORRIED, THOUGH I MUST ASK YOU NOT TO REVEAL ANYTHING YOU SEE HERE, NOR TO TELL ANYONE ELSE OF THE TRUE IDENTITIES OF THE POWER RANGERS. Mrs. Cranston readily gave her word not to tell anyone a single thing. WE FELT IT ONLY RIGHT THAT YOU SHOULD GET THE CHANCE TO SEE THE POWER CHAMBER, YOU HAVE BEEN MOST HELPFUL TO US THIS WEEK, Zordon informed her. ALSO, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MEET YOU. BILLY KNOWS WHERE THEY ARE. Billy grinned and took his mother's hand.

"C'mon, Mom, this way." Helen chuckled at his enthusiasm. She wasn't sure who would be interested in meeting her, but right now she couldn't help but remember being pulled down aisle after aisle at various electronic stores by her son when he was young. _He's all grown up now, my boy is a man. I'm so proud of him... _ They went down a couple of hallways, stopping briefly at one door so Billy could give her a quick peek at the infirmary he'd set up with the help of the other Rangers. Finally, they stopped at a door, Billy opened it and they went inside. Already there were Sheena, Tommy, David and Kahva. "Mom, David found out about us by accident, but you and he are the only ones outside of Kahva and her and Sheena's friends from their world who know about the Power Rangers true identities. The only ones who know besides former Rangers, the Alien Rangers and the Masked Rider. That's who Dex is, by the way."

"I was wondering who he was. And the triplets?"

"They used to hold the Gold Ranger powers on their planet, the powers that Jason has now. Mom... you were the first born child, right?" His mother nodded, a bit puzzled and overwhelmed by everything. "The Ranger powers almost always go to the first born of each family line. Not every generation has had a Ranger, naturally, but the ability to take the power, should the need be there, has been passed down to each generation. If the need had arisen, you could've been a Power Ranger when you were a teenager or young adult." Billy smiled at the shocked look on his mother's face. "Honest, Mom! Our family line came from the first Sapphire Ranger, Silias. Sheena's came from Kahva Kilanye. Mom, they are here, and would like to say hello."

Helen looked at her son strangely. "Billy, are you telling me we're about to do a seance?"

_That is not necessary for those who are descended from the first Power Rangers, my dear Helen,_ a pleasant male voice sounded almost as much in her mind as in her ears. She finally noticed a glow coming from across the room, that resolved itself into two forms, one male, one female, in ancient clothing. The male floated to her and placed his hand on the side of her face._ I am Silias, the first Sapphire Ranger, and your ancestor. It is a privilege to meet the mother of my chosen heir. _Helen's jaw dropped, then she recovered her composure a bit and found her voice, hoping it wouldn't shake as much as her knees were right then.

"N-Nice to meet you too - Silias, you said?" The ghost nodded, a friendly smile crossing his features._ I can't believe I'm talking to a ghost! _Helen thought. The female ghost came to her at that point.

_And I am Kahva Kilanye, the first Silver Ranger, and ancestor of your daughter-in-law, Sheena. I am also the ancestor of Tommy and David, for they too are of my son Tilrak's line, who was the first Diamond Ranger. The Diamond powers are with Tommy now, in his role as the Red Zeo Ranger. I am also apparently the namesake for Kahva Briton here,_ Kahva Kilanye smiled. You can see and hear us since you are all our descendants Kahva Kilanye turned to Kahva Briton and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. _ Kahva can see and hear us as well, I believe that is because she is descended from Zordon's wife's family. It is truly a pleasure to meet you Kahva, and you as well Helen, it is my honor to meet the mother of my descendant's true love._

Helen nodded respectfully and smiled at the kind spirits. "It is my honor to meet you. Might I assume you were present in some way at the wedding?"

_Yes, we were,_ Silias answered._ We were determined not to miss this momentous occasion._ The ghosts talked with their descendants for nearly an hour, but Kahva excused herself early on to let the families get acquainted. She roamed the hallways, exploring the building that would now be her home. Zordon had asked her to move in that morning, feeling she would be safer there, and that it would help to make her adjustment to her new world a little bit easier.

"Wonder what it's going to be like here," she wondered aloud. "Wonder where I'm supposed to fit in? What do I do now?" A comforting purr at her knees made her jump, she looked down to see Casach staring up at her. "Casach? I thought you were with Master Madas."

"Actually, I am with her," came the master's amused reply. "What troubles you, child?" Madas saw the flinch Kahva couldn't control as his calling her child, but made no comment on it.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now." _ Why am I even telling him this, he'll just think I'm being silly! They always told us to be brave and strong at the orphanage, so why am I such a wreck now? _ Kahva nearly ran from Madas right then and there, but for some reason, she felt compelled to stay and talk to him. "I thought my life was nice and boring, nothing dramatic, you know? Then my adoptive parents were killed in a fire, Sheena disappeared, and in the space of a week I've been hijacked, rescued, kidnapped and rescued again, then told I've got powers I never knew existed. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I've ended up in a different dimension than what I'm used to. I keep waiting for someone to jump out from behind a bush and yell Smile, you're on Candid Camera!' or something." Kahva looked at the kindly old man imploringly. "Don't tell the others please, they've got enough to worry about without me getting all silly and scared on them." Kahva sighed and started to turn away from Madas, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Sometimes the answers lie not in darkness or light, but in the shadows of the heart," he told her. "You will find your answers, when the time is right. Remember, if you want to receive enlightenment, joy and peace, you must first open the door and let it in. It is there, waiting for you, trust me. Trust in yourself, and you will find the strength to do it." Kahva could've sworn that the man had glowed a bit while he was talking to her. _ Must've been my eyes playing tricks on me, I'm going straight to bed once we get back from taking everyone home. _ Madas continued to smile at her. "I think now that perhaps we should return to the main chamber, I believe it is time for good-byes."

Kahva followed Madas and Casach to the main chamber and found that everyone was indeed preparing to say good-bye. The Alien Rangers, Dex and the Treys left first, after saying their good-byes. Ninjor followed soon after, then Master Madas and Casach left to return to Eltar, but not until Casach had played with Sheena and Kahva a few minutes longer. Zack, Trini and Aisha wished the newlyweds well, and said fond farewells to everyone, extracting the promise that if they were ever needed, Zordon would call them. David left soon after, he had made a date with Stephanie for that night to go to the movies. He'd only known her for an hour or so, but he was completely taken with her.

Kahva smiled as David left. "Guess that's how true love is, once it hits, it doesn't let go."

"My brother falls in love every other week, Kahva," Tommy laughed. "Though it usually does take him a bit longer to do it. Hey Jase, are you and Emily still going to that concert tonight?"

"I don't know," Jason shrugged. "We had a little disagreement at the reception. I'm going to call her when I get home, see if we can talk things out." Jason smiled and waved off Tommy's concerned look. "It's nothing, every couple has a bump or two along the way. She's probably already trying to call me so we can talk. Hey," he said, trying to shift the attention away from himself, "You guys ready to go?" he asked Daniel, and Sheena and Kahva's friends. "You look like you're all packed up." Jaycynda grinned as she picked up the thermos meant for Daniel.

"As long as Kahva is up to it, and Daniel doesn't forget his soup, I think we're all ready. Though I wouldn't mind staying a while longer."

"If we stay too long, though, the police might start to wonder where we've all disappeared to," Ann reminded them all. It's nearly seven now, and our time seems to be the same as yours, we don't want to make things anymore complicated than they have to be. Though I wish we could stay too."

"We all want to stay," Josh chimed in, "but we know we can't. Maybe we'll see you guys another time, though. And can maybe stay longer." Sheena hugged him and smiled at her friends.

"Maybe one day. Helen," she started, "thank you for everything, we couldn't have gotten through this week without you. You are so wonderful!" Sheena hugged her mother-in-law, Kahva and Daniel followed suit, then Billy's mom found herself being hugged by all of Sheena's friends.

"Thank you Mrs. Cranston!" they all chorused, more or less in unison. Helen smiled at all of them.

"If you all do get the chance to come back, just let me know and we'll have a huge cookout at the house." Billy kissed his mother's cheek.

"Will do, Mom," he called to her as she motioned for Alpha to send her back home. After she left, Billy looked at the group that was now holding hands and standing in a circle. "Everybody ready? No one's forgetting anything?" Nods all around assured him that everyone was set. "How about you Kahva? You're not too tired, are you?"

"Nope," she smiled. "I'm ready if you and Sheena are."

"Let's go then," Sheena said wistfully. "See you all later!" she called to the Rangers. Good-byes were quickly shouted back and forth, then they were engulfed by the dimensional portal. Moments later, they all appeared right where they had left from, in the living room of Kahva's old apartment. Everyone dropped their things and scurried about excitedly, Billy had been able to make copies of the wedding video for all of them, using equipment he'd set up specifically for it at the Power Chamber. Jaycynda was the first to pop her copy into the VCR. "What, we've just gotten through this and you want to watch it again?" Sheena teased.

"Well, not right this second, but I think we'll be watching this all night. You're married! Can you believe it?"

"Yes," Sheena stated simply after kissing Billy. The friends all gathered in front of the television to watch the video, it was a couple of hours later when Kahva, Sheena and Billy said their good-byes to everyone. Daniel hugged Kahva, and kissed her full on the lips.

"Don't forget me."

"I won't, I swear. Take care of yourself, Daniel. Jaycynda?" Kahva called to her friend. "Keep an eye on him for me, okay?"

"No problem. You two," she indicated Sheena and Kahva, "take care of yourselves. And if Sheena's unhappy, Billy," she jokingly warned, "we're going to find a way back to straighten you out!"

Billy smiled as he, Sheena and Kahva prepared to leave. "That sounds familiar. Don't worry, I think Kahva might beat you to it." After fond farewells were exchanged, the trio shifted again, but to Billy's surprise, they didn't reappear at the Power Chamber, but at a cemetery. "Why are we here?" Kahva smiled sadly as Sheena realized where they were.

"I think Sheena has one more thing to take care of before we go home. This is the cemetery where our adoptive parents are buried. In fact," she pointed to a group of tombstones a few yards away, "they're right over there. Sheena?" Kahva looked at her soul-sister, wondering if she'd been wrong to bring them here. The look on the Silver Ranger's face assured her she'd done the right thing. Kahva and Billy hung back a few steps as Sheena moved in the direction Kahva had indicated.

Sheena walked through the tombstones, heading for one she knew well. Years before, when her mother had died, the town had provided her with a free double plot for her and her husband. They would've given Sheena one as well, but she'd sworn she'd never be buried there. She smiled a little sadly; thinking of how true that was now. _With the life I lead these days, I sometimes wonder if there'll be anything left of me to bury in the first place._

At last she came to the double tombstone. She couldn't help herself, she sank to her knees by it, tears she'd blocked for days, since hearing of her father's death, pouring out at last. "Oh, sweet Goddess," she whispered. "I wish I could've been here for you, Daddy. I wanted to be here when you died. I wish you knew I'm all right. I wish you knew what happened to me. I hope somehow you know that I'm happy... that I'm happier now than I've ever been in my life."

She wept for what seemed like hours. Finally, she came back up to her feet. "I don't think I'll ever be back here. I can't leave... my home for long. I'm needed too much there. I'm a Power Ranger, Daddy. Just like I always dreamed: just like I always wanted. I have love, too: I wish you could meet Billy, you'd love him. He's here with me now. I wish you could meet all my new friends. You teased me for watching the show: now I'm leading the Rangers."

"Farewell, Daddy. Momma. I love you both, and I miss you more than I can ever say." Sheena touched her fingers to her lips, then placed her fingers on the two names. "You always both said you only wanted what would make me happy. May the Goddess bless you both with knowing that I am happier where I am now than I ever was here: except for when I was with you both. We'll meet again: I know this. Farewell: but never good-bye."

A soft crying sound to her right caught her attention, Kahva's parents were buried beside Sheena's, a double plot the only thing between the two sets of double tombstones. Kahva was kneeling at her parents' tombstone. Sheena went to her and hugged her tightly. "I feel like I'm abandoning them. I hope they understand that I can't stay," she whispered after she finally stopped crying. "Did you notice the double plot between our parents' graves?" she asked Sheena. "We all pitched in for one of the plots after you had been gone for a year, as a memorial, but the town wouldn't let us pay for it, told us to keep the money and they gave us the plot. Jaycynda said that they were so afraid that I was dead too after I disappeared, they took the money again to try and purchase the other plot, but the town gave it to them too, wouldn't let them pay for it either. See?" she pointed to a couple of temporary markers, "they've got those up until the tombstones can be placed. Those are_ our_ graves. To remember us. But we aren't here with them, we'll be somewhere else..."

"Remember, only our parents' bodies are here now, their spirits are free. I think they'll understand," Sheena comforted her. The two girls stood up and gazed in silence at the graves, each praying silently to God or Goddess to look after the souls of the only parents they had ever known. Billy soundlessly stepped up behind them, draping his arms about them both. After several minutes, the trio reluctantly left as Kahva shifted them all back to the dimension she and Sheena now called home, not seeing the group of eight young people gathered a few yards away. The group slowly moved over to the tombstones Sheena, Kahva and Billy had just left, placing a white rose on each grave, including the two empty ones that were for Kahva and Sheena. Two of the young people looked at the spot where Sheena, Kahva and Billy had last stood.

"Think they'll be okay?"

"I hope so, Jaycynda," Daniel replied. "I really hope so."

EPILOGUE  
A few hours later at the Machine Skybase...

"It's about time you got everything back online!" Klank jumped at the sound of his master's voice.

"Where have you been, sire? After you left the throne room, I looked for you everywhere, I couldn't find you! Are you all right, yer Nastiness?"

Mondo grunted in irritation, "Of course I'm all right, I just had something to take care of, that's all."

_Something to take care of that maybe took you away from the Skybase?_ Klank mused. _Where did you go?_ Sirens blared harshly throughout the Machine Skybase just then, and before Mondo could bellow out an order, a swirl of magical energy appeared in the throne room, resolving itself into the forms of Master Vile and a squad of Tengas.

"What do you mean by this, barging into _my_ Skybase!" Mondo raged. "I didn't invite you, so leave!"

"Well, now! It seems you haven't changed a bit, Mondo. Still as ill-tempered, ill-mannered and incompetent as usual. The Power Rangers still exist, I even eavesdropped on that sickening wedding they held, in disguise, of course. A disgusting display!" The grizzled wizard wrinkled his nose in distaste. "And your decor hasn't improved at all, it fact I think it's gotten worse."

"Vile! Who asked for your opinion, I certainly didn't give you one to offer! As for the Rangers, you didn't do any better as I recall. In fact, I believe you ran away whining, something about you couldn't stand it anymore, you were going back home? You're pathetic, Vile!" Mondo turned away from the evil wizard, but Vile stepped quickly in front of him, causing him to stop. "What do you want? Make it quick and get out of my sight!"

"I have a proposition for you Mondo. Revenge. How would you like to work together to get rid of the Rangers, forever?" 

**To Be Continued**


	7. Put To Rest

**Put To Rest  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

Over the Earth floated the Machine Skybase, home of King Mondo, Queen Machina, Prince Sprocket, and uncounted numbers of Cogs and monsters. It was also where Master Vile was now visiting, and had been off and on for the past month. 

The arguments had also been going off and on for the past month. The two villains both hated and despised each other, but they hated the Power Rangers even more: especially the leader. 

Mondo shouted, "You know, if you had only gotten rid of that first Silver Ranger instead of keeping her, we wouldn't have the problems we have now." 

"Oh really?" Vile yelled back "Pray tell, whatever gave you that idea?" 

"Well, Sheena would never have had the Silver Ranger powers sent to her for one thing." 

Vile shook his heads. "The powers would have been given by Zordon to someone from Kilanye's family line, if Sheena hadn't have gotten them, somebody in her family would have. Moot point, Mondo." 

"Unless you could have turned her evil, which even if you had, she wouldn't have survived long from what we found. And also, if you had properly gotten rid of Elysia's family line, we wouldn't have this Kahva Briton running around. She wouldn't have ever been born." 

The ruler of the M-51 Galaxy snapped, "Don't remind me of Zordon's dead wife, or her family. They kept me from getting the power of the Mystic Springs, they interfered with my plans..." He paused suddenly. "What did you say? 'From what we found'? What are you talking about?" 

Mondo explained. "While I had Klank and my Cogs looking for evidence of Elysia's family line and what happened to them, we found the first Silver Ranger's body still locked in the tower in the palace." 

Vile looked thoughtful. "The body is still there? I'd forgotten about that. Perhaps I can still use the first Silver Ranger after all..." 

"What do you mean?" Mondo grinned; this had the makings of an excellent evil plan already.

* * *

"Oof," was all Adam could say as Sheena easily threw him to the ground again. She grinned as she let him back up. 

"Want to spar some more?" she offered. "I'm just getting warmed up." 

Adam shook his head. "No, thanks, I've had enough!" he grinned as she helped him back to his feet. "You are dangerous, Sheena!" 

Sheena grinned, and off to the side, Billy sighed happily at that. "That smile of hers is dangerous enough!" he whispered to Kahva. 

Kahva only smiled in return. Even after a month, it was still hard for her to believe that after a two-year-separation, she was back with her best friend: and that they both lived in a universe that was only shown as a TV show where they'd grown up. She watched as Sheena began one of the more difficult solo _ki-see_ katas. 

"Just think, Tommy," Rocky poked at his friend. "One day, you'll be able to do that... but first, she gets to pound it into you!" 

Tommy watched as his teacher and cousin whirled around the secluded region of the park they were in. He swallowed as Sheena went into a series of moves he would have taken a bet no human could do and survive, and actually made it look easy. As he glanced over to check out the others' reactions, he saw Billy: who was quite literally staring with his mouth wide open! 

Kahva glanced over at the gaping Sapphire Ranger, and a quirky grin that had become familiar to the Rangers over the past month appeared. She pulled at his arm a little bit to get his attention. 

"Open your mouth a little wider Billy, I think I can see my old dimension in there!" Kahva grinned, then reached over to physically shut his mouth. She glanced over at Sheena. "Sheena, I don't think you should be doing anymore _ki-see_ today, at least not in front of Billy. He's drooling!" 

"Ewww, don't make him drool!" Tanya was torn between laughter and mock disgust. 

Kat agreed. "It's not a pretty sight!" 

"Yeah, it does cut down on his cuteness quotient, somewhat!" Kahva giggled. 

Sheena stopped her workout and sat next to Billy, planting a gentle kiss on his lips as she did so. "Even drooling can't make me love you any less, Billy," she smiled. "But you might get a few less kisses if you don't stop!" 

Billy blushed and stammered a touch incoherently as Sheena flopped onto the grass, staring up at the clear blue skies overhead. "I hope we're not needed for anything today," she mused. "It's just too beautiful a day to waste it fighting monsters." 

The others all nodded agreement. On a day like today, it was just too hard to believe that above them lurked an evil overlord, just waiting to get his hands on the world they all called home.

* * *

"Just what is this plan of yours, Vile?" Mondo wondered. His uninvited, unexpected, unwelcome, and extremely powerful houseguest and ally had revealed very little of whatever might be going through that ancient brain of his. 

"First I'm going to do some spying on the Rangers," Vile told the Machine King. "I'll be back when I am done." 

"I could show them to you," Mondo offered. "No need to go down to Earth and risk ruining whatever your plan is, if they should see you." 

"They won't see me," Vile sneered. "But have some of your Cogs ready if any of them get close to my hiding place; I'd rather not risk too much in this expedition." 

Vile paused dramatically, gathering his power around him, the vanished in a puff of black smoke and a horrendous stench of sulfur. "Blasted wizards and their special effects," Mondo grunted as the smoke cleared. "I wonder just what he's up to?"

* * *

Vile appeared on Earth not too far from where the Rangers were relaxing in the park. He took up a position behind a tree and observed them, wondering just which was the new Silver Ranger. It had been a while since he was on Earth, and there were three girls there he didn't know at all. "If I had known about that blasted Billy's wedding, I would have gotten to Earth _before_ he was leaving on his honeymoon, so I could've gotten a better look at his bride," he muttered to himself. He knew she was a brunette, and tall, but that was it. Master Vile studied the three unfamiliar young women from his hiding place. 

One was dark-skinned, in yellow; she was probably the Yellow Ranger. "They do seem to dress in their Ranger colors quite a bit, for some reason," he said softly to himself. The other two... he couldn't see one, her back was to him. He looked at the one he could see, examining her as closely as he could without moving from his place of concealment. 

Long dark hair, dark eyes, olive complexion. She looked a little familiar, she tickled a memory from long ago, could she be the one? _Who does she remind me of?_ Perhaps he should have taken Mondo up on that offer; the Machine King had controlled the Silver Ranger for a time, he would know what she looked like. 

"Hey, Sheena, want to spar a bit?" It was the Blue Ranger, Rocky, making the offer. "Karate, not _ki-see_!" All the others laughed at that, it was apparently some sort of joke to them. 

The girl whose back was to him stood, shaking out hair that fell to her knees. The other brunette stood as well, and one of them spoke, but now neither faced him, so he had no idea which. "Sorry," one of them said, "but Tommy and I need to put Kahva through her paces with the quarterstaff." Tommy stood, and after a minute or two, the three of them started sparring with quarterstaffs. "Remember, Cogs are not honorable fighters, they will gang up on you," came that female voice again. "That's why you have to learn to defend yourself against more than one attacker. You have a weapon that can keep them at bay, use its length to your advantage." There was a continued clashing of wood against metal, at least one of the staffs had to be metallic, Vile noted absently. The girl whose hair was almost waist-length tripped up the taller girl, knocking her down. "Nice move, Kahva." _ That's the one who talked earlier, the one the Blue Ranger called Sheena, she's the Silver Ranger, she must be!_ The girl on the ground lashed out with a swift kick and sent the other girl's quarterstaff flying over to the tree Vile hid behind. "But don't let your guard down so quickly!" she warned in a light-hearted tone. She stood up and turned, and finally he saw her face. He clenched the tree trunk in rage, as a face he'd last seen still and slack in death, now sparkled with life and light and love. 

"No," he whispered to himself, his talon-like fingers digging deep into the tree. "Her powers... and her face! She's the mirror image of Kahva Kilanye! I should've destroyed that blasted ancestor of hers when I had the chance!" 

He stared, hate and rage boiling up inside of him like even he'd never known before. "I will use this new Silver Ranger to destroy all the others! But not until I've had my own revenge on her for the humiliation her ancestor made me suffer! There will be a reckoning, Sheena Cranston, and you will know suffering the likes of which _no one_ has ever dreamed of!"

* * *

Kahva chuckled a bit and went to pick up her staff from where Sheena had kicked it. As she did so, she noticed something odd on the tree. "Looks like claw-marks," she mused. "Hey, Sheena!" she called out, turning. She stifled a sudden scream however, as she saw about a dozen Cogs between her and the Rangers. Sheena, already morphed, had begun to fight, engaging two Cogs at the same time. Kahva whirled into battle, knocking into a Cog with her staff. 

"Kahva!" Sheena smashed one Cog into a tree. "Be careful!" 

Kahva fought strongly, but the Cogs had a tendency these days to concentrate on her, since her powers weren't suited to fighting. She wasn't being overwhelmed just yet, but it was plain it would only be a matter of time.

* * *

Vile watched from his vantage point in the trees, keeping a sharp eye on the two women who had, it seemed, returned from the past to foil him and his plans yet again. _The Silver Ranger is the fighter of the two, just like her blasted ancestor. But this Kahva Briton isn't, she's like her ancestor Elysia, she even looks a bit like her, that's why she seems so familiar to me. Determined, loyal... but not a warrior, she's not used to battle. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage at some point._

The Cogs were doing well, even against the morphed Rangers. Kahva especially was having a hard time of it. Then Sheena began to move and fight in a pattern he knew well, having seen it used before against his warriors. 

_"Ki-see!_" he snarled. The outrages just kept piling up! Her movements were trained precise, and smooth, showing not a hint of hesitancy or doubt. He knew of only one person who could have trained her in that ancient art. He watched her for a few more moments, and almost felt fear, realizing that her moves spoke of a skill that fell just short of ultimate mastery of the art. 

"So, you have your hand in this new Ranger's training as well, Madas?" Vile muttered, half to himself, half to the old master. "She is no master, though, and thus will have no defense against what I have planned for her." 

As Vile watched and altered his plans to accommodate what he now knew, the tide of battle below was shifting. The Cogs were little more than scrap metal, and Sheena had fought her way to Kahva's side. There she remained until the last Cog was sent flying away. He listened carefully to the after-battle conversation, hoping it would provide more clues for just how, where and when to set and spring his trap.

* * *

"Silver Ranger, power down!" Sheena demorphed and looked at Kahva. "You all right?" 

"Yeah," her soul-sister nodded, a little out of breath. "I'm also very grateful for all the training you and Tommy have been drilling into me lately." 

As the others closed ranks around them, Sheena smiled. "Hey, I guess Mondo still hasn't learned that it's a bad idea to mess with the Sisterhood!" 

Kahva grinned. "You know, I don't think any of our old friends from back home would believe what had just happened if we had to tell them about it." 

Sheena agreed. "Yeah, Josh especially. I still don't think any of them quite believe in where we are and what's happened to us." 

"Do you blame them?" Billy spoke up. "It was hard for _us_ to believe where you came from, and we're more or less used to magic and spells and other dimensions." 

Rocky nodded. "I mean, I can't imagine us as characters on a TV show." 

"Don't knock it, Rocky," Billy smiled. "That show did more for me than you can imagine!" 

Sheena laughed as she wrapped an arm around Billy and gave him a kiss. "Quite true Mr. Cranston, quite true." 

Kat looked up from where she was checking over the picnic they'd been enjoying earlier. "The food's ruined, guys, the Cogs did that much at least." 

"Oh, well, I guess Rocky had eaten too much anyway," Sheena teased as she went over to help put the rest of the remains in the basket. "They did him a favor, he would've gotten sick from too much food." As they worked, the conversation returned to what it had been before the sparring had seriously started. 

"What was it like seeing the Kilanye farm, Sheena?" 

Sheena smiled a little at Tommy's question. Of them all, he was the most closely related to the near-legendary first Silver Ranger, except for she herself. "It was beautiful," she sighed gently. "The Command Center ruins were too, in a weird sort of way. Even the graves couldn't take away from the dignity of the place." 

"Graves?" 

Sheena nodded at Tanya's surprised look. "The graves of our ancestors, the first Rangers. They're all inside one large tomb." 

"Everyone's?" they all more or less chorused. 

"Well, no," Sheena shook her head slowly as she remembered. "There was a marker for Kahva Kilanye, but no real grave." 

"Why's that?" their Kahva asked. She had an interest in this; she shared the name of this ancient warrior. 

"Probably because they never recovered her body from Vile's palace," Billy said almost absently. Sheena nodded her agreement. 

"How do you know?" Jason wondered. 

"Kahva Kilanye told me herself a little over a year ago, while I was Mondo's prisoner," Billy shrugged. 

"I have it from her memories," Sheena added. They looked at each other suddenly, the same idea occurring to them both. 

"Her body was never recovered from Vile's palace," Sheena said softly. 

"And Vile's palace is on the moon. Earth's moon. _Our_ moon," Billy continued. Tommy had picked up on what they were thinking of. 

"It's been fifteen thousand years. Could there be anything left?" 

"We can find out," Sheena suggested. Billy nodded briefly, as did Tommy. All the other Rangers and Kahva were in various stages of confusion, however. 

"Would someone like to clue us in?" Rocky almost demanded. 

"Kahva Kilanye died in the tower prison of Vile's palace, which became the palace Zedd and Rita used while they were here," Sheena explained quickly. "Her body was never recovered from there, so maybe it, or remains of it might still be there. We're going to find out if it is, and if we can, we'll give what's left a decent and proper burial on Eltar, or whatever the usual method of giving respect to honored dead is there." 

"You guys are going to the moon?" Adam raised an eyebrow. Sheena, Billy and Tommy all looked at each other. 

"I guess we are." 

"Count me in." 

Sheena looked at Kahva in surprise. "Kahva? You want to go? You want in on this?" 

"You'd better believe it," she smiled. "Look, I share her name for whatever reason, and I've heard so much about her from you and Zordon and Billy... well, you combine all of that and I really feel I need to go. Now that you've brought the idea up, I'm drawn to it." Kahva shook her head at Sheena's concerned frown, she knew what her soul-sister's objection was going to be before she could voice it. "Look, it's been a month since everything happened, I've long since recovered. And we're going to the _moon,_ not the Machine Skybase. If we sneak in, Mondo won't have a clue we're there, we can find out if Kahva Kilanye is there, and if she is, we teleport out and take her home to Eltar." Sheena still didn't seem quite convinced. "Sheena," Kahva stated, her stubborn streak coming to the fore, "unless you can find a legitimate reason for me not to, I'm going. You're not going into a battle, for Pete's sake, you're going to an abandoned palace! Abandoned, empty? The only threat to me up there is what the dust might do to my allergies." Kahva stared right into Sheena's eyes, at five feet nine inches tall to Sheena's five-eleven, she was one of the few females who could pull it off. "I'm going. No, no, no," she stopped her, "I'm not one of the Rangers, you can't order me to stay. If anything starts getting weird, I promise I'll teleport out so I won't be in the way of what you guys need to do, _but I'm going_. End of discussion." 

Sheena vainly tried to come up with a reason for Kahva to stay on Earth, but she was right, the palace was abandoned, it should be safe. Billy's shaking from trying to hold in his laughter didn't help any. "I've said it before, I'm sure I'll say it again. I should know better than to try and win an argument with you by now, shouldn't I? All right, you're going too, but only if you promise to high-tail it out of there if we end up tripping over a nasty surprise, ok?" Kahva grinned and nodded, Billy and the others could hold their laughter back no longer. Sheena shook her head and draped an arm around Kahva's shoulders. "Am I ever going to win an argument with you?" 

"Yep, you will. When I let you." The young people finished clearing up the picnic remains, laughing over the rare defeat of the Silver Ranger, blissfully unaware of the evil eyes watching them from hiding. 

"So, you're going to try and find Kahva's body, are you?" Master Vile glared at Sheena and Kahva, then smiled nastily. "Oh, my dear little naive child, you're going to wish you had decided to stay here on Earth, for I've a plan that's going to destroy your precious Sheena, and trap you and Tommy and Billy on the moon, forever. You'll get to rot away with the first Silver Ranger, knowing the last one is dead."

* * *

"So that's the plan, Zordon, we're going to teleport to the moon and see if Kahva Kilanye's remains are there," Sheena explained. "Just me, Tommy, Billy, and Kahva." She glanced over at her soul-sister; it was obvious the Silver Ranger wasn't completely thrilled with having Kahva along with them. 

"Sorry Sheena, I'm going if I have to shift myself there," Kahva told her. Sheena sighed. 

I WOULD SUGGEST RUNNING SCANS OF THE PALACE BEFORE TELEPORTING, RANGERS. Zordon advised. RITA AND ZEDD LEFT IT UNOCCUPIED, BUT PERHAPS NOT UNGUARDED. IT WOULD BE BEST TO CHECK BEFOREHAND. 

Billy nodded. "He's right; I'd rather not teleport straight into some old trap they've left behind. I'll get started on the scans right away." 

Sheena sighed dramatically. "Kahva, let me guess: in the time it takes Billy to make sure it's safe for us to teleport up there, I won't be able to persuade you not to come, will I? 

"Sheena, you couldn't persuade me not to come if you had the time from the day Kahva Kilanye was born till now!" 

"I can dream, can't I?" Sheena and Kahva both giggled at that. Kahva turned serious suddenly as she remembered something from the park. 

"Sheena, just before we got jumped by those Cogs, I saw some claw marks, or something that looked like claw marks on a tree near where we were," Kahva told her softly. "Something could have been there watching us." 

Sheena looked worried. "I don't like that. If Mondo's got some new monster spying on us, I want to know about it." 

She looked over to Billy to ask him to scan the park for any monster traces, only to fall silent when she saw how busily he was scanning and checking. _I won't bother him, she thought. I can do this without a lot of fancy machines. _

She beckoned to Tommy and told him what Kahva had told her. "I'm going to go check it out. I'd ask Billy to do it from here, but he's busy. I can check this out alone; I'll call if anything serious comes up while I'm there." 

"I don't like the thought of you being there alone if Mondo is plotting something," Tommy told her. 

"I'm a grown Ranger, cousin, and," Sheena smiled at Kahva, who was standing by Billy now, "to quote my sister over there, 'I'm going, end of discussion'. Besides, Kahva will know if anything happens to me faster than the sensors will anyway!" 

Tommy smiled at her. "The way you two are linked, it's just as tight as what's between you and Billy, isn't it?" 

Sheena nodded. "But differently. Billy and I are linked through destiny and love, Kahva and I are linked through friendship." She glanced over at her friend and husband. "I'm going to go check those claw-marks out, I'll be back soon; let them know where I am." 

"Ok." He watched as Sheena teleported out. He wondered briefly if the claw marks Kahva had seen had anything to do with what they were planning to do. Nope, couldn't be...

* * *

"I take it you've seen Sheena?" Mondo said almost dryly as Vile reappeared in the Skybase. The old wizard was fuming as he materialized. 

"Why didn't you tell me she looks just like her blasted ancestor!" Vile roared. 

"I offered," Mondo reminded him evilly. "YOU were the one who said you wanted to see her for yourself." 

"Oh, never mind," Vile shook his main head. "I learned what I needed to, three of the Rangers and their little friend Kahva are going to my old palace on the moon." 

"Why would they go there?" Mondo wondered. Vile relished telling him of what he'd overheard, and Mondo nearly spit up oil in disgust. "Those foolish humans and their sentimental ways! How could they have kept this planet from me for so long with them?" 

Vile didn't know. "And it gets better: the Silver Ranger is leading them on the way there!" 

Mondo did his level best to smile, but to no avail. "It could be quite interesting if they teleported in, only to find a few hundred of my Cogs there!" 

Vile groaned. "Mondo, is that your answer to everything?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Throw a few hundred Cogs at it!" Vile snarled. "Sheena is nearly a master of ki-see, and she's more than capable of taking down your entire Cog army if she ever becomes a master of it. Overwhelming the Rangers is a good idea, don't get me wrong, but if you weaken them beforehand, you save on troops, time and effort!' 

"Are you going to tell me this grand scheme of yours, then, Vile?" Mondo glared at him. "Or are you going to wait till I fall apart from old age?" 

_That might not be a bad idea!_ Vile mused._ I'll humor the old machine for now, though. He's good for comic relief if nothing else! And his Cogs could be useful, in the right place and time._

Out loud he said, "A _few_ of your Cogs will wait inside the Lunar Palace for my signal. Once I give it, this is what they'll do." 

Once he'd outlined the plan, Vile examined the Earth again; he needed to know something more. A cold, cruel smile curved over what passed for his lips as he saw Sheena in the clearing, examining the tree he'd damaged while on Earth. Without another word; he returned to the twirling planet below.

* * *

Sheena arrived at the clearing, near where the attack had begun. She glanced around carefully, testing the area with all her senses as Master Madas had taught her. She heard nothing but the birds, saw nothing but trees and grass, could smell only the sweetness of early spring flowers. Once her normal senses were satisfied, she closed her eyes and opened up her other senses, the spiritual part of her that training in _ki-see_ had amplified. 

_There was something here, all right,_ she thought as she quietly moved through the clearing. _It was watching us. Wish I could tell more. But that's it, it was just watching. Strange._

Sheena came to the tree Kahva had told her of, it had five parallel claw marks in it. She touched one of the marks; it was like nothing she'd ever seen or heard of before. She quickly ran through a mental list of all the animals she could remember, both from her self-training as a witch and from Master Madas' lessons on Eltar. No, none of them matched these markings, whatever they were. 

As Sheena examined the tree, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her. She had to hold onto to the tree to keep from falling down. She took several deep breaths, invoking _ki-see_ control and discipline. A sudden hand on her shoulder startled her. 

"Sheena?" It was Kahva. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing." That was a mistake; it was next to impossible for her to lie to either Kahva or Billy. There were some drawbacks to almost literally sharing a mind with two other people. 

Kahva frowned at her. "I know something happened, I could feel you getting dizzy." 

"That's just it," Sheena shrugged. "That's all that happened. Nothing to worry over. You were right though, there was something or someone here watching us. I can almost smell the reek of evil." 

Kahva couldn't help but giggle at that. "Excuse me, 'The reek of evil'? Sheena, you do get a little melodramatic at times!" 

Sheena laughed a touch. "Job hazard, I am a writer after all. Has Billy found out if it's safe to go to the palace yet?" 

Kahva nodded. "Apparently it's a good thing I'm going to be coming along. I'm going to be needed, I do believe." 

Sheena frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"Billy will explain things. Come on, let's go back before the others send out a search party." With no more than that, the Silver Ranger and her best friend teleported back to the Power Chamber, not hearing the soft, self-satisfied chuckle floating from the shadows. 

"Thank you Sheena. Sleep well tonight, my dear."

* * *

Once again, Mondo had to clear the smoke away as Vile teleported back to the Skybase. _I'm going to have to get an air exchanger to get rid of his stupid smoke! Perhaps after I have the Silver Ranger back in my grip, I'll force that husband of hers to build me one, just before I lock him away forever. _ Mondo was glad for once that he couldn't really smile, because he wouldn't have been able to hide the one that would've covered his face at the thought of making Billy work for him. _If I forced him to work for me, I wouldn't need Klank anymore, Billy could make all my inventions and monsters, just like I considered making him do over a year ago. No doubt he could find a way to turn that child Kahva Briton to my will._

Mondo contentedly let his mind roam over various scenarios. _The four people I can do the most damage with, all in one place at one time... Sheena as my ultimate warrior; Billy as my inventor; Tommy as another warrior, a field general, but more importantly, leaving the Rangers leaderless with both him and Sheena gone. And dear little Kahva, we have yet to find out just what all you can do. You're full of surprises child, and they will all be mine to control._ Mondo was so busy happily daydreaming, that he almost didn't hear Vile's gloating. With a silent groan, he forced himself to listen to his over-dramatic houseguest. He didn't even notice Klank eavesdropping from the entryway. 

"My plans have already begun, and there is nothing the Rangers can do to stop them!" the wizard cackled. Vile was strutting like a mutated peacock, obviously well-pleased with himself. Klank shook his head in disgust, just out of the view of Mondo and Vile. 

_How many times have I heard that before?_ Klank wondered as he watched the two old minions of evil plot. _ Who knows, maybe with the two of them working together, they'll actually get it right this time._ Klank crept a little further into the throne room, he wasn't about to be left in the dark about their evil plans, not if he could help it. He watched as Mondo tried to take some control of the planning back from Vile. 

"What have you done, Vile?" Mondo glared. 

Vile laughed at the mechanical overlord. _Can't stand not knowing, can you?_ "I've merely begun the process that will lead to the Silver Ranger's capture." Vile couldn't contain his evil mirth. "Soon she'll pay for her ancestor's humiliation of me." 

Mondo nodded eagerly. "When you have her, bring her here, Vile. I've waited over a year to have her back where she belongs: serving me. Nothing will prevent it any longer: not the other Rangers, not her husband, not that infuriating Kahva Briton... _nothing!_" 

Vile smiled cruelly. _ Quite true, Mondo. She will indeed be taken, and there's nothing that can prevent it. But we'll see just who she belongs to when it's all over. I have an old score to settle with her bloodline: a very old score._ The two old rivals retired to Mondo's war room to plan, a single goal uniting this unholy alliance: the capture and control of Sheena Cranston.

* * *

"Okay Billy, what's going on? Can we teleport there or not?" Sheena asked as soon as she and Kahva were inside the Power Chamber again. Kahva's comment about it being a good thing she was going troubled her. _ Hope that doesn't mean what I think it does._

"Well... maybe, maybe not," Billy turned to her. "My readings indicate that a normal teleport won't get us in. There's a shield of some type up that prevents our regular teleportation energy from entering," he sighed, shaking his head. "I guess Rita and Zedd didn't want anyone messing with anything they left behind." 

"That's kind of worrying," Sheena pointed out. "I guess it's their equivalent of locking up when they go out, but it also makes me wonder if they might have left any nasty little surprises behind in case someone did get in." 

"How _are_ you going to get in?" Adam wondered. 

Kahva looked a bit self-conscious as Billy glanced at her. "Kahva's shifting should be able to bypass their blocking and get us in undetected. As far as I know, there's no kind of shielding that exists that can block dimensional teleportation when it's being done mentally, instead of by mechanical means." 

Sheena looked at her oldest friend. "So that's why you said it was a good thing you'd be coming!" 

Kahva nodded. "No more arguments now, Sheena. If I don't go, you guys don't get in, it's as simple as that." 

Sheena laughed and shook her head. "Apparently something wants you to come with us, and I've never argued with fate... much!" 

"I'll keep scanning and checking to see if there's another way," Billy told them. "I might be able to break through the barrier, and if I can, normal teleportation will do nicely." 

His wife nodded. "I'd prefer it, I think we all would prefer it, if Kahva didn't have to shift us there." 

"And why is that?" Kahva asked a little testily, her defenses rising. She couldn't believe Sheena was still trying to stop her from going! 

"You know how shifting tires you out," Sheena told her quickly, she had intended no insult. "If you're tired from taking us up there, you couldn't shift out if there's a trap or something. And if shifting's the only way in, it could also be the only way out." Sheena's mind flashed back to her wedding day, when Kahva had brought the two of them and Billy back from taking their old friends back home. She had promptly passed out, without the good fortune of someone catching her before she hit the floor that time. Kahva had slept for nearly twenty-four hours straight after that, needing to recover from both the shifting and her imprisonment. When she finally woke up, she did feel better, but had a massive headache. 

And her first premonition in this dimension. She warned the Rangers of a group of Cogs waiting to ambush Adam after his last class at Angel Grove University, and they had reduced the metal men to scrap metal by the time Adam came upon them. Mondo hadn't been happy with that at all, and had vowed revenge. 

The Silver Ranger looked at the older girl whose life had been turned so upside down by the metal overlord._ Can't you see I'm worried about you, sister?_ But Kahva's jaw was firmly set, and a look Sheena knew all too well burned in her eyes. Sheena had never had it directed at her before, though. "Sheena, I am going, and if you want to get up there, it's going to be courtesy of me. That's all there is to it. Billy can keep looking, but whether he finds a way for normal teleports to work or not, _we_ are going." 

Sheena was stubborn, but she also knew a losing battle when she saw one. "All right," she relented. "When do you want to leave?" She glanced around at the others who were going on the trip with them. 

Tommy's answer was, "I think we should wait until tomorrow, so we can give Billy time to explore all the options." He was worried about Kahva too, but not as much as Sheena, he trusted Kahva to know her own limits. _And I know I want to be fully rested if we do run into something up there that isn't friendly._

Kahva shrugged. "I can go whenever, I'd prefer some rest first, though." She grinned at Sheena, letting her know there were no hard feelings. "I'm stubborn, but I'm not crazy. Not that crazy, anyway," she chuckled. "Besides, a good night's sleep would probably be best for all of us." 

Billy smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow would be best. If there is any other way in, I should find it by then. And I should be able to get an idea of where any booby-traps might be. If we can avoid them, our trip will be that much shorter and any possible risk reduced somewhat." 

Sheena nodded in agreement, then looked at the others. "Think you guys can handle being without us for a while tomorrow?" 

Jason smiled. "I think we can take care of things, and if Mondo attacks, Kahva can just shift you right back here, right?" 

Kahva agreed. "It will be a little rough if we have to come back very quickly, but I can do it." 

Sheena couldn't help smile a little at the determination in her eyes. _She may not be a Ranger, but she's got the heart of one._ "Ok, then it's settled. Tomorrow morning, we shift up to the moon, and find any and all remains of Kahva Kilanye," Sheena nodded sharply. "We bring them back and take them to Eltar for a proper burial." 

"And until then?" Rocky asked. 

Sheena shrugged. "I don't know about you guys, but I've got a novel back home that needs to be seriously worked on. Let me know the minute you find out anything different, if you do, Billy." 

Sheena was about to leave when Zordon spoke. HOWEVER YOU REACH THE PALACE, RANGERS, BE CAREFUL. IT WOULD NOT BE UNLIKE RITA AND ZEDD TO HAVE LEFT SOME TRAP OR MONSTER BEHIND, SHOULD SOMEONE BE ABLE TO ENTER THEIR OLD HOME. Zordon was speaking to the entire quartet, but his gaze rested the longest on Kahva._ SO MUCH LIKE ELYSIA, SHE DOESN'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO HERSELF, AS LONG AS SHE CAN HELP HER FRIENDS. BUT WHY IS SHE SO DETERMINED TO GO?_ he wondered. He knew there had to be something more to it than just the fact it was something Sheena wanted to do, so that made Kahva want to go too. I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, AND YOU HAVE MY BLESSING, BUT IF DANGER ARISES, YOU MUST ALL RETURN HERE IMMEDIATELY. REST ASSURED THAT NOTHING CAN HARM KAHVA KILANYE ANYMORE, IF YOU HAVE TO RETURN WITHOUT HER BODY. HER SPIRIT IS SAFE AND FREE. 

Only Billy caught Kahva's slight shaking of her head. She didn't say anything aloud, but he could just barely read her lips. Then she was looking at Zordon again as if it hadn't happened at all. Sheena's voice broke into his thoughts, and he turned back to his scans, whatever was bothering Kahva, he'd find out later, he promised himself. 

"We'll be careful, Zordon," Sheena smiled. She tapped her head lightly. "It'll be a quick job, I've got my ancestor's memories to guide me straight to where she was... is... whatever. We go in, get out, and we're back home before anyone knows we're gone!"

* * *

"Arrgh!" Sheena tied back her hair in frustration for what seemed like the hundredth time. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't pull her thoughts together on the novel, she just couldn't focus. "A newborn babe could write better than this," she muttered as she deleted the last five pages she had typed in. Sheena sighed, made sure all the changes she did want to keep were saved to disk, then walked out onto the back porch of the cabin. 

The view was breathtaking. The cabin was situated on two acres of woodland, not far from the mountains. A few hundred feet away was a sparkling blue lake, teeming with wildlife, just like the surrounding woods. Sheena knew that there were other homes across the way, but like theirs, they weren't immediately visible from anyone's back yard, so you had the sense of being all alone with nature. Uncle John had assured them they had the best view of the lake of anyone, and the open back porch had become her favorite spot to sit and relax. She walked over to a large rocking chair and settled in, untying her hair and letting it fall where it willed. She closed her eyes and rocked slowly, letting the back and forth movement become a part of her, letting herself become part of the peace that surrounded her home. 

_Sheena, you need not worry about her, she is well now. Her strength and health are returned, and she is better able to defend herself now, thanks to you and Tommy._

"But why does she want to go so badly? It could be dangerous." 

_She goes because it is just as important to her as it is to you. She is drawn, she has said as much._

"But why?" 

_You have to ask her. You have to accept that she may not know herself. You have to accept that she does not take the danger lightly. She loves you, she does not do this to hurt you._

"But _she_ might get hurt. I can't stand the thought of that happening." 

_She could get hurt at anytime, so could you, and not because of a monster attack, or a trap. Any of you could sprain an ankle playing basketball, or hiking. A virus could make any of you sick. Any of you could have a car accident. There are some things you cannot control, Sheena; once you accept that, you can better deal with the outcome._

"I don't know if I can let it go that easily, Sheena. I'll try." 

_Don't try, just do it._

Sheena sighed, perhaps she should have formed her circle before talking to her inner spirit, she wasn't as calm as usual after having the quiet conversation with herself. _I can't let it go, I have to stay in control of things, if I lose control, I might lose someone._ Images of a fateful night six years earlier flashed in her mind, Sheena shivered and banished them._ No, I'm not going to think about that again. It's over and done with, I can't change it._ She took several deep breaths, and felt her emotions settle a tiny bit. One thing her inner spirit had said was undeniable: Kahva wouldn't be so insistent about going if it didn't mean a lot to her as well. "If it wasn't so important to her, she would never have said a thing, except to volunteer to shift us there once Billy found out we couldn't get in normally," she said to herself, rising from the rocking chair and tying her hair back once again. "I'll find out why tomorrow, right now I have a novel to work on." _ And an empty house, I hope Billy comes home soon._

* * *

Vile watched Sheena through Mondo's viewscreen for several hours. She had worked on her computer, then had gone outside to sit on the back porch of her home, then had gone back inside to work on her computer again, seemingly a little more at peace. It was getting late, he was beginning to wonder if she would ever go to sleep. "No matter, my plans can't be stopped now." He and Mondo had sent some Cogs to hide in different places in the Lunar Palace, and to reactivate the barrier Zedd and Rita had left there to block teleportation energy. All of their old booby-traps were functional, at least the ones that the Cogs hadn't already tripped. 

Vile turned off the viewscreen and left to retire to his guest quarters. "It's only a matter of time, Silver Ranger, only a matter of time. Pleasant dreams..."

* * *

Sheena reluctantly turned off her computer after saving her work. She had finally gotten some good ideas down, it was only a couple of pages, but she had finally gotten them out of her brain. But it was nearly midnight, and she had to get some sleep if she was going to be anywhere close to being up to full speed at the Lunar Palace. "Billy, where are you?" she softly asked to the now-darkened home office. She went to their bedroom and changed into her nightgown, hoping for the oh-so-gentle voice that always lulled her to sleep to come drifting over her shoulder, hoping for his breath on her neck. Instead, she climbed into an empty bed, her thoughts still a bit troubled as she drifted off into a lonely, fitful slumber... 

_"Sheena!" It was her dad's voice, strangled with fear. She ran towards him, only to stop in panic as she saw him pulling something small and dark out of the dryer, of all places. _

"Sh... Shadow?" her voice shook. It was Shadow, the small black cat she'd loved and cared about so much. She'd only had Shadow a few months, but their bond was strong. 

"She's dead," her dad said flatly. "She got trapped in the dryer, and she's dead." 

Sheena stepped back, her eyes filling with tears. "Daddy... I left the dryer open after I checked it last time! She must've crawled in there before I turned it back on, it's my fault!" 

"Yes, it is," he told her coldly. "You should've been more careful." 

"More in control," she whispered to herself. "Oh, Shadow..." Tears fell down her cheeks as she looked at the still form of her beloved friend... 

"We've got to find her, there's no telling what T. C. is up to. Where did Kenny say he last saw them head to?" Sheena was worried, Kahva had taken such a risk by going with T. C., but they all knew that the troublesome girl was up to something, and one of them going with her was the only way to find out what it was. They all still hoped they could turn T. C.'s life around. "Why did Kahva have to be the one to go? She hasn't slept in twenty-four hours at least, she didn't eat at the party, she only drank some punch..." 

"Yeah, I saw T. C. get it for her," Jaycynda agreed, scanning the rain-slicked streets for any sign of their friend. "Kenny said the last he saw of them, they were heading for the bridge, he and the others are going to meet us there. I hope T. C. didn't take her to Randy's, he lives out that way, last I heard. Randy hates the two of you." 

"Jay, it's been almost four hours since they left - T. C. got the punch for Kahva? Was this before she got so sleepy?" 

"Before and after, she got about five cups for her, I think." Jaycynda sat up straight in the car seat. "You don't think T. C.-" 

"I do. We've got to find her!" Then they were at the bridge, and Kahva's car was barreling at them on the wrong side of the road. Sheena slammed on the brakes, Kahva's car swerved, then vaulted the guard railing, landing precariously on it, rocking back and forth. T. C. and her boyfriend Randy piled out of the car; Randy's drug buddy Carl was beating on something in the back seat, then he ran away from the car that was tilting more and more towards the rain-swollen river. Sheena saw a figure lying in the back seat just then. 

It was Kahva, and she wasn't moving. Her face was bloody and her clothes were torn. Carl was high, and looking for a fight. He attacked Sheena, keeping her from getting to Kahva. The car plunged over the railing with her in it. "Kahva!" Sheena screamed. Carl laughed maniacally. 

"Lookie, lookie, it's sinking! Cool!" Sheena rounded on him with a vicious punch, then tore into him, no holds barred. Josh, Kenny and Todd were running up, but they were too late to stop Sheena. She was out of control. 

"YOU KILLED HER!" Sheena pounded Carl mercilessly, ignoring Josh's cries for her to stop. Carl just kept laughing, right up until he stopped breathing... 

The Silver Ranger waited outside the human Billy's house, he would have to come home soon, and when he did, he would be her master's. A column of white light appeared a few feet away, and her prey had arrived. He was tired, and had no Ranger powers, she knew. He would be such an easy target. She caught him completely by surprise, she ripped his communicator from his wrist and ground it into several tiny pieces under her boot heel, leaving the remains lying on the driveway. She ignored Josh's cries in her mind for her to stop, and she took her captive to the Machine Skybase. 

"I have the prisoner you commanded, my lord Mondo," the Silver Ranger spoke. "Have you a preference for his disposal?" Her lord commanded her, she obeyed his orders. She savagely threw the human into a cell, then she contacted the Power Chamber, breaking into their communications just as her master had instructed her. 

"Watch Rangers, as I destroy your friend." Despite the voice in her head begging her to stop, she beat her helpless captive till he no longer moved, his heartbeat forever stilled... 

Kahva Kilanye was in the tower of Vile's palace, a prisoner, beaten and battered. "I must see how injured I am," Kahva muttered; not seeing Sheena a mere foot from her. Sheena watched as Kahva demorphed and staggered with weakness. 

"Kahva, don't give up, this is your destiny!" Sheena had never thought she would urge someone to their death, but for Kahva to live would bring on horrors unimaginable. 

Kahva took a deep breath; and prepared to summon her Silver Crystal. Suddenly she froze in place. "No, no, no, my dear girl, we've got much more interesting plans for you than death." 

It was Vile. He entered the room with several putties; Sheena tried to fight them, but it was as if she were a ghost. "MUCH more interesting plans!" 

Sheena screamed; she knew what Vile had planned for Kahva, and as she stood, unable to affect anything, Vile waved his hand once. Kahva stiffened, then as Vile snapped his fingers, she relaxed. A cold light lit her eyes. 

"How may I serve you, Master Vile?" she asked. Sheena stared, feeling something inside of her she instinctively knew was her Silver Ranger powers fading. Then she herself was vanishing, slipping away as if she never existed. 

"You must gain control, Sheena," a familiar voice whispered. "You must be in control..." 

"Let them go - Adam!" Sheena shouted, not believing her eyes. They were all speechless at the sight of a second Adam holding Kahva prisoner. He laughed cruelly at the confused Rangers, the Cogs were dragging Daniel over to him. In a mere moment, Kahva and Daniel were gone. Sheena had failed to save her sister... again. 

"Let her go, Mondo, she can't help you!" Sheena pounded on the force field, trying to break free. "Silver Ranger Power!" she cried again, but the power abandoned her, she was powerless here in Klank's lab. She had no control. Mondo turned to laugh at her - 

And Sheena was looking at herself, morphed, holding a needle at least a foot long, the needle part itself as thick around as a pencil, the tip ended with a burr. It was dripping a neon green poison, and the Silver Ranger was holding it over Kahva's arm. "Don't do this Sheena! Fight the potion!" Kahva yelled as loudly as she could to the Silver Ranger. "Sheena please! I don't want to serve evil!" 

"Kahva! That isn't me, I'm over here, can't you see me! I'm in this force field, that's not me!" 

"Sheena don't, please!" Kahva screamed first in terror, then in agony as the needle the Silver Ranger carried plunged into her arm. Daniel was standing by her, pale and emotionless. 

"Welcome Kahva, to the world of evil," he said tonelessly. The Silver Ranger helped the older girl off of the table she'd been strapped to. Kahva walked over to the force field and smiled coldly at Sheena. 

"I can see why you didn't want me to serve evil, Sheena. You knew something I didn't: it feels so good..." 

The Silver Ranger was fast, impossibly fast. She teleported down to Earth, kicked and punched all of the Rangers into a daze before they could morph, then kidnapped Billy and Kahva, taking them back to the Machine Skybase. Sheena could only watch helplessly as she saw herself, morphed, dragging Billy and Kahva down the dungeon hallways by their necks, not caring how badly it hurt them, how much pain she caused. "Stop!" she yelled at herself, standing in her own way. The Silver Ranger passed right through her with the two vainly struggling prisoners, as if Sheena didn't exist. The Silver Ranger tossed the captives into a cell, locking the door behind her. She removed her helmet and dropped it to the floor. Sheena saw her own face then, she was staring into her own eyes. They were a cold green, as if carved from ice. The Silver Ranger was doing this willingly, she was not under Mondo's control in any way, shape or form. 

"You have to stop her, you're the only one who can." Sheena turned to the voice, it was Josh again. "Stop her Sheena. Stop yourself, you have to get control." Then the image, or whatever it had been, of Josh disappeared. Sheena turned back to face herself: unmorphed Sheena against fully-powered Silver Ranger. 

"Guys, try to get out of here, I'll distract her!" Sheena yelled to Billy and Kahva. 

"You don't seriously think they can hear you, do you? You're NOTHING!" the Silver Ranger told Sheena. "I can't believe I let you be in charge of us all these years," she spat at the helpless young woman in contempt. "But I'm in charge now, and I'm going to have some fun. Sit back and relax... you certainly can't do anything to stop me." Then Sheena was sucked inside herself, trapped in her morphed body, and could see the sheer terror in Kahva's eyes as she pleaded with her for mercy. 

"Sheena, fight it! Fight the potion!" 

"There isn't any potion to fight, I'm doing this BECAUSE I WANT TO. Now shut up, weakling child!" The Silver Ranger backhanded Kahva into the wall, she fell to the floor, stunned. Sheena could only watch from inside herself, helpless to stop herself. She had no control. 

"Sheena please, don't do this!" It was Billy imploring her to stop now. "I love you, don't do this! It's not too late, Sheena!" Sheena could feel her lips form into a cruel sneer as she punched Billy full-force in his stomach, sending him to his knees. She could feel what the Silver Ranger felt as she lashed out with a devastating kick to Billy's head. He toppled to the floor, unable to move. The Silver Ranger produced two long, jagged chains, then yanked Kahva by her hair and dragged her to the center of the cell. She dropped the captive girl face-first to the floor, then roughly bound her wrists and arms behind her back with one of the chains, coldly ignoring Kahva's cries of pain as the serrated links bit into her flesh. The Silver Ranger continued on with the chain, running the length of it down to her ankles, binding them tightly. She rolled Kahva onto her back and ran the chain through one of four eye hooks embedded in the floor, then brought the chain back up and wrapped it twice around Kahva throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. The Silver Ranger fastened the end of the chain to a second eye hook in the floor just a foot past her head; Kahva was pinned down now, unable to move. She gagged her before she could speak, then with the other chain quickly bound Billy in the same fashion to the floor, just two feet away from Kahva, to the other pair of hooks. 

"Sheena, please," he croaked, desperately trying to breathe normally. The Silver Ranger placed her knee on his chest, compressing it for several torturous moments before she laughed and gagged him. 

"Sheena doesn't live here anymore. I am the Silver Ranger." Sheena tried to wrest control of this dark side, but it was as if she wasn't in there, wasn't inside herself. "Don't do this!" she yelled inside her mind. The Silver Ranger's voice, her voice, mocked her. 

"Don't do this, don't do this... you're even more pathetic than they are. Watch, learn and feel what you've been missing by not letting me be in control all this time." And powerless to stop herself, Sheena watched. 

"Do you two know what I'm going to do next?" the Silver Ranger asked Billy and Kahva. They couldn't respond, the chains around their necks were too tight, they could barely whimper through the dirty gags. "What, can't guess? Or cat got your tongues? I'm in a generous mood, I'll tell you." She knelt between the helpless prisoners, toying with Kahva's hair. "I'm going to blow up the Power Chamber, with all the Rangers, Zordon and that stupid bucket of bolts Alpha-5 all inside. But before I blow up your friends, you get to watch how I'm going to kill the two of you. You'll get to watch each other die, isn't that wonderful of me?" She produced two knives, an onyx-handled one in her right, which she held over Kahva's face, and a sapphire-handled one in her left, which she rested on Billy's throat. The blades were impossibly sharp; she slowly drew a thin red line across their throats simultaneously, then proceeded to continue it down the center of their chests, their clothing providing no obstacle. She ended the lines with a sudden downward thrust. A quick twist, and the blades were out, the Silver Ranger casually tossed them away. "I didn't hit anything vital, you're both such crybabies," she scoffed at their agonized tears of pain and betrayal. "You're not to die just yet. Now, let's see, where was I? Oh yes, how you're going to die. Well, it's going to be slow, very painful, and you're both going to be begging me to end your lives. Now, who wants to be first?" She giggled with glee at their shocked expressions, partially hidden by their gags. "Come on, don't be shy, everyone has to die sometime. Though your deaths are going to be more... inventive, more creative, than most. Hmm, inventive, creative. Billy invents, Kahva's creative, well now! I just might have a few ideas, here. Wanna feel how much they hurt?" 

The Silver Ranger stood up between them, the Silver Sword appearing in her right hand, Billy's old Power Lance in her left. Sheena could feel everything she felt. 

Joy. 

Power. 

Pleasure. 

Ecstasy. 

Control. 

The Silver Ranger LOVED what she was doing. Sheena could taste imminent death as the Sword and Lance plummeted down, both aimed just above Kahva and Billy's hearts. Her screams finally broke through and mixed with Kahva and Billy's, overpowering the Silver Ranger's laughter at impact... 

"NOOOOO! STOP IT!" 

Sheena fought against the arms that held her tightly, lovingly, didn't hear the soft voice in her ear that was trying to soothe her. Several minutes passed before her screams collapsed into tears, and she realized that Billy was holding her, rocking her back and forth on their bed, gently smoothing her hair. When she could breathe more or less normally, she dared to speak his name. "Billy? You're here? You're..." 

"I'm alive. I got home about twelve-thirty, you were already asleep, I didn't want to wake you. I wish I had now, you've been thrashing and screaming for almost two hours, I couldn't get you to wake up." Billy's face was as pale as Sheena's, she knew without asking that he had seen every single part of her nightmare. Both of them glistened with a thin sheen of sweat. Sheena leaned against her husband's chest out of exhaustion, and to reassure herself that it was whole, unmarred. To reassure herself that the heartbeat she heard wasn't her own terrified one, but his strong one, full of life and love. 

"Billy? Can we go to the Power Chamber? I want you to scan me. I have to know if there's any trace of the mind control potion left in my blood." Billy nodded. They dressed silently, then teleported away.

* * *

Vile's alarm went off, and he rushed to the throne room to turn on the viewscreen. He watched as Sheena Cranston suffered through a violent nightmare, then eventually woke up in her husband's arms. Not too long after, the couple teleported away, no doubt to the Power Chamber. "Oh, you poor thing, did you have a bad dream?" he chuckled. "You haven't seen anything yet, girl."

* * *

"Thank you so much for doing this Billy. I know this seems crazy, but -" 

"You don't have to explain it to me, I saw the nightmare too. If it were me, and I'd been through what you've been through, I would want to be scanned too." Billy smiled and lightly kissed Sheena's forehead as he drew a tiny amount of blood from her, then as the computers checked it, he ran a scanner over her. "Trust me, you're not crazy. You just have loud nightmares, I guess you could say." 

Sheena paled at that. "Oh, Billy... do you think I woke Kahva up? I've picked up on her nightmares over this past month, do you think she saw mine tonight? I've got to apologize to her if I did." A sleepy voice from the doorway answered her fears. 

"Sheena?" Kahva was standing there, barely awake, in a peach-colored, sleeveless cotton nightgown that skimmed the floor. She had managed to pull on a matching robe, but it wasn't quite on her shoulders. Her hair was a bit sleep-mussed, she was slightly disoriented, her voice still soft from sleep... Billy couldn't help but grin. _If Daniel could see her now, he wouldn't ever leave this dimension, she's adorable!_ Perhaps Kahva was linked to Billy through Sheena; she seemed to become aware of his presence at that very moment, for she clutched at her robe and pulled it more securely around her. "Did you have a nightmare?" Her eyes still weren't quite focused, she could only keep them partly open. She swayed as she stood, and Sheena moved to steady her. 

"I did, I'm sorry I woke you." Kahva nodded at her, still not quite fully awake. 

"Is okay," she slurred out, turning to leave - and stepped smartly into the wall. "That wasn't there before," Kahva stated in confusion. "Where'd the door go?" Sheena quickly ushered the sleepy girl back to her quarters before she hurt herself. A few minutes later she returned to the infirmary, a grinning Billy waiting there to greet her. 

"She's asleep again, she wasn't really awake at all when she stumbled in here. I'm going to have to apologize to her in the morning... when she's coherent." 

Billy's grin blossomed into a smile as he chuckled. "You know, Kahva's cute when she's half-asleep." Sheena wrinkled her nose and lightly punched Billy's arm. "Ow!" he laughed. 

"Keep your eyes off of my sis, Billy-boy!" she teasingly frowned at him, then laughed. "And Kahva wouldn't think she's cute when she's not quite awake. As a matter of fact, I can remember Josh accidentally waking her up at my place one night, they and Ann had all crashed there after a concert. I do believe she growled at him. Of course, the fact she had a roaring headache might have had something to do with it," Sheena grinned at the happy memory, then quickly looked down to hide the clouds in her eyes at the other memory that came with it. _That was two days before she graduated from high school, two days before the accident..._

Billy smiled and quickly kissed his wife, not seeing or simply not commenting on the change in her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind." A beep from the computer called for his attention. "Here we go." 

"Anything?" 

"Nope. If there's anything of the potion left in your system, I can't find it. Sheena, don't worry, Mondo doesn't have you under his control, you're free." 

"I hope so. That nightmare..." Sheena paused as Billy turned off the lights in the infirmary, then they left to return to the main chamber. "Kahva saw the whole thing, but she wasn't sure at first if it was her nightmare or mine. I wish I could keep my nightmares from her, she has enough of her own." 

"I know. For a while there, I was picking up on hers through you. Do you think she'll ever talk to us about everything that happened up there?" 

Sheena shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe one day. She doesn't talk much about her feelings, she never has. She just always helps everybody else deal with theirs." The couple stopped outside of Kahva's quarters; a soft, anxious sound floated to them from behind her door. "She's having a nightmare now." They quietly entered her room to find the young woman mumbling in her sleep. The bedsheet had been kicked off, and her left arm was moving, as if trying to push something or someone away. 

"Should we wake her?" Billy asked. 

Sheena shook her head. "Let me see if I can calm her without doing that, she needs to sleep." She caught her friend's hand in the air, patting it softly. "It's ok, you're safe..." 

Kahva's mumblings became clearer. "I won't help you get Sheena, I won't..." 

"Shh..." Sheena spent the next few moments softly talking, trying to soothe the troubled sleeper. Kahva finally stopped mumbling and laid still, the nightmare banished. Billy pulled the bedsheet back over Kahva, gently tucking her in, then they slowly and soundlessly left her room. "At least they aren't as bad anymore. Could you see any of that one?" 

Billy shook his head no. "Not much, it looked like Mondo in the throne room, then in the lab." He hugged Sheena reassuringly. "It's just going to take time, your nightmares lasted for a few weeks, as I recall." 

"Yeah..." she agreed, her voice distant. Billy pulled her a few feet further away from Kahva's door, then at last found the courage to ask Sheena the question all of the Rangers had wanted to ask for the past month. 

"Sheena, you told us about your other friends... but... why didn't you tell us about Kahva? The guys all said you started to at the Juice Bar that day Mondo brought her and Daniel here, you started to tell me about her that afternoon, but why didn't you say anything before then? Why wait so long?" 

"I don't know if this is going to make sense." 

"Try me." 

Sheena sighed, casting a look back at Kahva's quarters. "We've always been very protective of her, even though she's the oldest of us all. She's been picked on and left behind so much in the past... It almost felt like if I talked about her, back when I first met all of you, that by doing that, I'd lose her. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's the only way I can explain it. I can't lose her, Billy. If anything ever happened that separated us forever, I don't think I could take it. The last two years were rough enough, knowing they were all alive, but I couldn't see them." Sheena sighed and leaned against Billy, he enfolded her in his arms as she found herself staring at Kahva's door. "She really is my sister. I don't know, I guess I kinda felt that if I shared her, even if it was just memories, that she could be taken away from me. I can't let that happen, I won't." 

Sheena turned and looked at her husband. "A month ago, I guess I finally realized that talking about her wouldn't cause me to lose her, it would keep her closer to my heart. If Mondo's scans hadn't interrupted me, I would've told the others at the Juice Bar that morning, and you would've been there to hear about her too. Am I making any sense at all?" 

Billy smiled and nodded. "I think I understand. That's why you're so scared about her going to the Lunar Palace with us, isn't it? It's not that it might be dangerous, but the thought of her being so far away from the Power Chamber. If she were only going out of town, you'd be just as scared. Sheena, I promise you. None of us will ever let anything happen to Kahva or you. And none of us will ever leave you. Together forever, forever together, always and eternity." He pulled her close to hug her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Face it, you're stuck with us!" 

"Can't think of anyone I'd rather be stuck with." 

"Come on, we've got a big day tomorrow, let's go home." 

Sheena grinned mischievously. "Race you!" she called out before teleporting away in a blaze of silvery-white light. 

"Hey!" Billy started to follow her, but stepped back to Kahva's room. He peeked in and saw she was still sleeping soundly. Silently, he padded over to her and bent to lightly kiss her cheek. He backed out of the room, shutting her door soundlessly behind him. "Sweet dreams, sister." Then he followed his wife home.

* * *

"All she had to do was tell me it was a family thing, and I wouldn't have intruded." Kahva's face showed her guilt, she had wanted to find out why Sheena had been so against her going to the Lunar Palace. "I would've backed down in a heartbeat." 

Billy tried to reassure her, the others hadn't arrived at the Power Chamber yet that morning. Kahva had found Billy going over the last scans of the Palace, but there had been no new information to find. "She knew how much it meant to you. You do share her name, for whatever reason. Sheena couldn't deny you this any more than she could deny Tommy the chance to go. It's almost like a family thing with you too." Kahva remained unconvinced and still feeling bad. 

"I wish she would've told me though, said something! I want to go so bad, but I never wanted to make her feel uncomfortable." 

"Sheena realizes that it means as much to you to go as it does her, even if you can't quite explain the reason. You've got just as much right as anybody to go there, and she knows that. Even though there is the possibility of something happening, no matter how remote." Billy looked Kahva squarely in the eyes. "It's not that it's a family thing; she's worried about something happening that would cause her to lose you. Losing you would hurt her too badly." 

Kahva considered his words carefully. "You're sure that's the reason?" 

"We talked about it this morning. Sheena never got back to sleep after her nightmare." 

"Nightmare is a mild term. I saw it all, I don't think there are words for what she dreamed. All those memories were so twisted, none of those things happened exactly like she dreamed them... and killing us slowly because she wanted to... Sheena would never do that. She'd go the way of her ancestor before _ever_ serving evil like that willingly." Kahva turned her head slightly as she heard the others teleport in all at once. "So she's worried she might lose me, huh?" Billy nodded. "Well then, I'm just going to have to not let her lose me then. Losing a sister is simply not allowed in the Sisterhood," she grinned. 

After everyone had brought up to date on the scans, and Billy told them he had one last set to check, Kahva grabbed Sheena and pulled her away to a room she had found in the Power Chamber. It looked like a small outdoor garden, but all of the plants and animal sounds were computer generated. "Where did this room come from?" Sheena asked. "I don't remember this being here." 

"I don't know, I stumbled on it about a week ago. There's so much in the place that we don't know about, it is designed to be as self-efficient as possible, after all. I guess little things like this are for the time when things outside are really bad... if they get that bad. It also keeps me from getting claustrophobic," Kahva laughed. 

"You've never had a phobia in your life, girl," Sheena grinned. 

"Heights." Kahva nodded yes at Sheena's disbelief. "Though it's mainly when I'm on a ladder, or near the edge of a ledge when I get the fear, no matter how irrational, that I'm going to fall. Speaking of fears..." Kahva looked at her soul-sister, hoping she'd be able to get Sheena to talk. "What you dreamed last night didn't happen. Look at my throat: no scar. There aren't any scars anywhere, and Billy will tell you the same I'm sure, if you haven't checked him to reassure yourself already. Sheena, you would never hurt any of us that way, you would never serve evil willingly, especially not in that way. That is a fact." 

"I hope you're right. Kahva, if anything ever happened that took you from me forever, or if anything happened to Billy or the others..." 

"Risk is part of being a Ranger, they all know that. You know that. You just have to realize there are things you can't control." 

"But you're not a Ranger, you were yanked into all of this, you weren't asked if you accepted the risks -" 

"Sheena... Sheena, the moment I said I was going to stay in this dimension, I was accepting the risks. True, I'm not a Ranger, but I know Mondo would still like to get me, he'd like to try to find a way around the protection that's evidently in my blood. He'd love to use me as a hostage if nothing else, because of what it would do to you. Sheena, I accept the risks." Kahva sat down by the artificial pond and put her hand into it. It was wet and cool, as if it were real. "I know you're worried about me going to the Lunar Palace, I talked to Billy this morning. I thought that maybe the reason you didn't want me to go was because it was a family thing, but according to Billy, it's because you're afraid of what might happen up there. Is that right?" Sheena sat down next to the older girl and nodded. "I can't explain why I feel the urge to go, but as soon as you started talking about the graves, and that there was only a marker for Kahva Kilanye, I felt pulled to the Lunar Palace. As soon as you decided to go, I couldn't resist anymore, I had to go. But if it is going to cause you this much pain... I won't go, if Billy can find another way in. And knowing Billy, if he works at it long enough, he'll find a way around the barrier, or find what is generating it and how to deactivate it. It's up to you, I'll do whatever you decide. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, Sheena." 

Sheena looked straight into Kahva's eyes, she could see the longing to go to the Lunar Palace shining in them, she could feel it in her heart. She would almost swear there was something else there too. _Must be my imagination. But there can be no doubt, she wants to go very badly. A part of her has to go._ Billy's calling for them over the intercom interrupted her thoughts, they hurried back to the main chamber. 

"I still can't find a way through the barrier," he announced, "though I may have found where it is being generated from. But to find a way to deactivate it will take time, a lot of time. As of right now, normal teleportation will not work." His gaze rested on Sheena. It's your call. 

Sheena looked at Kahva, who was standing at the back of the group. Her expression and thoughts mirrored Billy's: it was Sheena's decision to make. _Whether we go now or later, she's still going to feel pulled, drawn to go. But she meant what she said, she will stay if I ask it._ Sheena took a breath and looked at the ensemble. "Then we shift in. I can't stand the thought of Kahva's body, whatever's left of it, still up there. Billy, tell us what we need to take and we'll get it, then we're out of here." As Billy organized the few items they would need, Sheena looked at her group: Husband, cousin, soul-sister... it _was_ a family expedition. The closest people to her would all be with her in the palace. _I've got to keep control of everything up there, I can't lose any of them. I won't._

"What more are we waiting for, Vile?" Mondo was definitely not used to waiting this long for anything, and it had only been a day. If he could feel sensations like a human, his hands would have been itching with his desire to have the Silver Ranger under his control again. 

"The trap can't be sprung until they are in the palace, Mondo," Vile pointed out once more. "We have to wait." 

"I hate waiting," Mondo whined petulantly. Vile groaned softly to himself; why had he ever allied himself, even temporarily, with this metallic fool? _I must have been out of my mind to join forces with this metal nincompoop. But his Skybase is a good launching point, his Cogs will be useful... if I can just stand his incessant whining a little while longer._

"Soon Mondo, soon," Vile tried to reassure him. _Soon... yes, soon I will have the revenge I've waited fifteen thousand years for. And to think, Sheena's best friend will help me get it!_

* * *

"Is everyone ready?" Sheena glanced at Tommy, Billy and Kahva, receiving nods from them all in return. The quartet were all dressed for the occasion; blue jeans, hiking shoes, since Billy had warned the night before that they would most likely have to deal with quite a bit of rubble, long sleeved shirts and flashlights at the ready. Billy was carrying a small scanner that would hopefully warn them of any traps, and would also keep a record of their path. Tommy shouldered a small backpack which carried a stasis generator. Though the unit wasn't even quite as big as four bricks tied together, it was powerful enough to produce a field that could surround a human body. Any remains they found would be kept intact in the field until they could return them to Eltar. Tommy had his customary red bandanna tied over his hair, Kahva had her hair pulled through her normal grey baseball cap. Sheena's hair was simply tied back in her usual ponytail; Billy had toyed with a baseball cap himself, but now it lay off to the side on a console, completely forgotten. The only apparent weapon was Kahva's collapsible quarterstaff she slipped into her pocket; Tommy, Billy and Sheena would have weapons if they morphed. It had been decided that morphing would be a last resort, though. Billy's scans had indicated that morphing energy could be easily detected by sensors planted throughout the palace. As they made a last round of checks on their equipment, the other Rangers stood to one side in the Power Chamber, watching them prepare to go. "All right, everybody stay on the alert, call us if anything goes haywire. Jason, you're team leader until we get back." Jason nodded, promising to call if there was trouble. 

Kat gave Tommy a quick kiss on his cheek for luck, and Jason couldn't resist giving Kahva a hug. Billy and Sheena shared a short, loving kiss, then Sheena nodded, indicating they were ready to go. GOOD LUCK, RANGERS, was Zordon's farewell as they all joined hands and Kahva prepared for the shifting. BRING HER HOME, RANGERS. SHE HAS BEEN THERE TOO LONG. A greyish portal formed around them, and they were gone. 

Seconds later, the four of them stood in a dusty, cobweb filled throne room. Sheena looked around carefully, all of her senses on guard and alert. "Ok, so far so good," she half-muttered. Kahva was shaking her head from the shift, she leaned on Billy for a minute to steady herself, then she was fine. 

"Man, this place has changed," Tommy glanced around, remembering how it had looked when he'd been there to take the Zeo Crystal from the caves underneath their feet now. There were broken bricks, pieces of rusting metal, and half-rotted boards strewn all about. "Talk about run-down." 

Kahva sneezed as the dust irritated her allergies, then wiped her nose. "Wish I'd brought extra allergy pills," she sniffed. "But this isn't as bad as pollen." 

"You're going to be ok, though, right?" Sheena looked worriedly at her soul-sister. 

Kahva nodded. "I told you I would be, remember? If anybody feels like kicking up a dust cloud though, warn me first," she smiled. Sheena returned the expression, then closed her eyes, concentrating and remembering. It wasn't that easy, with the memories of her nightmare still trying to crowd into the front of her mind, but she managed to do it. 

She opened her eyes a few moments later, and glanced down towards the floor, then up towards the towers. "It's up that way. Down that hall... I think... Kahva was mostly unconscious when being taken to the cell, I'm hoping the memories are clear enough for me to follow them." 

Sheena started to lead the way through the dusty palace, not voicing what was going through her mind._ It was only a nightmare... only a dream... none of that happened the way you saw it... remember that..._

But she couldn't forget it.

* * *

"Are they there yet?" 

"Mondo, if it will make you feel better, you could go down to Earth and just grab them yourself. Of course, you would most likely be destroyed, but it is your life." Vile shook his heads in disgust._ I thought Rita's whining was bad, he tops her! _Then an alarm sounded, clamoring for his attention. It was all he could do to keep Mondo's hands off of the console long enough so he could see what he'd been waiting for: they were there. 

"How could they have gotten so far without us knowing about it?" Mondo nearly screamed. 

_Tricky child, aren't you? _Vile smiled inwardly, he had to give the girl credit. Kahva Briton had brought them all there without triggering a single alarm. _ And you're all so clever, you've avoided all of the traps so far. No doubt that irritating Billy has scanned for them. But you can't avoid them all._ Aloud, he said, "It matters not how long they've been in there, the point is they are there. It is only a matter of time now, Mondo. Contact your Cogs, whichever ones that are left. Tell them to be ready to spring our trap, and to try not to spring anymore of Zedd and Rita's, while they're at it." 

Mondo yelled for Klank and ordered him to send the word. Vile looked out the main portal in the throne room and gazed at Earth's moon. _Your friend has brought you to me, Sheena Cranston. Now prepare to meet your fate._

* * *

The trip through the palace was stirring up memories in Sheena that she would have preferred remained hidden; not just of Kahva Kilanye's imprisonment and death, but of other things. As a ghost, her ancestor had spied on Vile frequently, for her own amusement at watching him bemoan his constant defeats by her companions. The few victories he achieved netted him prisoners, most of which had been sent here to rot away. The grief, hate, sorrow and pain they had experienced had permeated the walls of the palace. 

Kahva Kilanye had 'absorbed' the emotions present in this place, since her body was still there, and passed the memories of them onto Sheena when her descendant had taken on the powers of the Silver Ranger. Now, as Sheena walked through the palace, it was all she could do not to be sick at the memories of pain and madness that filled her. 

"Sheena?" It was Billy. "You all right?" 

Sheena paused for a moment. "Y... yeah." She hated the stammer that overtook her at times, when these memories threatened to overwhelm her. She wondered for a moment what it would be like if that happened. She shook her head; that couldn't happen, she had control of those memories. "I'll be... I'm fine." 

Kahva looked at her. _Why don't I believe her?_ The older girl wished for a moment their bond allowed her more than the occasional glimpse into Sheena's thoughts, or knowing her soul-sister's emotions. She could tell Sheena was minorly worried over something, but just not quite what it was. 

"The door's locked," Tommy said from up ahead of them. They'd followed a long series of hallways and corridors to reach what Sheena's secondhand memories told her was the way to the tower prison. 

"Great," Sheena muttered. "Let me take a look at it." She headed over to take a look at the lock, while the others spread out through the hallway to explore, looking for any clues or nasty surprises. Tommy was checking the far wall, staggering slightly as a section of the floor moved under his foot. 

"Be careful guys, the floor's in bad shape in spots," he called out. Sheena stole a glance at him, he seemed to be stepping out of a depression in the floor. _That's odd,_ she thought, a slight tingle running up her spine. She turned back to the lock, but as she examined it, a soft click sounded. She glanced back again to see a section of the wall sliding back, just behind Tommy. _No!_

"Tommy, get back!" Sheena yelled. Tommy looked around and saw the opening in the wall. He moved towards Sheena quickly, but stumbled over some of the loose bricks that were all over the place. A robot with a large, wicked axe in hand, emerged from the small alcove revealed by the wall. It lurched towards Tommy, swinging the axe ferociously. Tommy backed up, only to ram his foot into a small pile of loose bricks, pinning it. 

"Oh great," Kahva muttered as she ran towards him. "This isn't good at all. Guys!" she yelled as she instinctively threw up her left arm to protect herself and Tommy from the robot's attack. In one smooth, practiced motion, she pulled her collapsible metal quarterstaff out of her pocket with her right hand and extended it to full length, barely managing to block the robot's swinging axe. She stifled an oath as the axe cut into her left hand, she didn't have a good grip on the weapon with both hands just yet. 

Kahva managed to keep the thing at bay as Billy and Sheena pulled the bricks from around Tommy's trapped foot. Once he was free, Sheena glanced over at the robot, then somersaulted towards it, transforming the move into a powerful _ki-see_ kick as she did so. Her blow took the thing's head off, and was followed by a strike from Kahva to its torso. Unable to withstand the double assault, the robot collapsed in a heap on the rough floor. 

"This should keep it from bothering us anymore," Billy said as he rolled the metal menace over and ripped out several wires from its back. Kahva grinned wryly as she kicked at the thing. 

"Look dude, don't mess with the Sisterhood, you got it?" She squeezed the quarterstaff in her hands in a precise manner, and it collapsed back into its traveling length, a mere six inches. "Billy, this quarterstaff is great, I don't know how you make this stuff!" 

Sheena took a quick breath, "Kahva, your hand." Sheena glanced over at Tommy, then pulled his bandanna off his head and bandaged Kahva's left hand with it. "Sorry cousin, but she needs this more than you do right now." 

'It's ok," Tommy smiled. "We should've brought a first-aid kit. Thanks Kahva, that thing would've sliced and diced me before I could've morphed." Kahva smiled shyly as he gave her a one-armed hug; though she was comfortable around the Rangers, she still wasn't quite used to their attentions. "You're getting better, you aren't running away this time," Tommy joked. 

"It was going after you." 

"I meant from me." 

"Oh," she said, realization hitting her. "Well, as long as you don't bite, why should I run from you?" she giggled. They all chuckled at that, releasing the tension that the sudden attack had brought. 

"Ok, let's get moving," Billy said, after a quick examination of the cut, before rewrapping the improvised bandage. "It's a nasty cut, but nothing serious, I don't think it will need stitches. Just a good cleaning and some antiseptic when we get back. Keep the bandage on until then and you should be okay." 

"Yes sir, Dr. Bill," Kahva laughed and gave him a mock salute. Then they all turned their attention back to the door Sheena had been checking. 

"The door's still locked," Tommy pointed out. Sheena grinned a little. 

"I can take care of that," she said. And with a kick that rivaled the one she'd just used on the robot, Sheena took down the locked door. "After you, dear sister!" Sheena smiled. 

Kahva grinned and stepped through, then caught her breath and stopped short. "She's here," she breathed, eyes wide as she seemed to scan the walls for something: or someone. "Don't tell me you can't _feel_ her Sheena." 

Sheena couldn't, she had pulled up short just as Kahva had. They were facing a stairwell that led upwards in a spiral fashion, old unlit torches held in sconces every few feet along the stone walls. This section of the palace was made of solid stone, and smelled of age and death. "Up there," she motioned, tearing up the stairs, with Kahva right on her heels. 

Billy couldn't tell who was more drawn, and it frightened him a bit. His mind went back to what Zordon had said the day before - that Kahva Kilanye's spirit was safe and free - and to the words only he had seen their Kahva mouth silently. Billy wished he had asked her about that now, remembering the words as he and Tommy hurried to keep up with the young women. 

_No, I'm not free._

"It is time, Mondo!" Vile laughed. "They sprang the trap at the base of the tower, they've entered it by now, I'm sure. I shall go there now, tell your Cogs to wait for my command!" Vile disappeared in his standard smoke and sulfur, leaving Mondo in his wake. 

"Don't forget Vile, Sheena is to be brought here! Vile!" Mondo called after him. Grunting, he motioned for Klank to alert the Cogs in the palace tower, then turned his attention towards Earth. "No time like the present for a monster attack, I always say. They're leaderless, they won't be able to stop me. Get ready to meet your doom, Power Rangers!"

* * *

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! There's a monster on the loose near the Youth Center, Rangers!" Alpha yelped. 

CALL SHEENA AND THE OTHERS BACK ALPHA, THEIR MISSION WILL HAVE TO WAIT, I AM AFRAID. Alpha frantically pushed buttons on the communications console as Jason crossed to him. 

"I can't contact them, Zordon! There is a communications shield up around the Lunar Palace, it wasn't there before! I can't get through!" Alpha pulled up the image of the monster on the viewing globe quickly, then continued his efforts to contact the four young people on the moon. 

"What do we do now?" Rocky asked Zordon. Their mentor didn't immediately answer. Jason was staring at the monster on the viewing globe; an old, familiar feeling tightening into a knot in his stomach. _We're going into battle, and I'm leading again. It's been so long, do I still have what it takes?_ The others' voices brought his attention back to the matter at hand. 

"I'll bet Mondo did this deliberately, he must know that we're down three Rangers," Tanya muttered. 

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't," Adam tried to reassure her. 

"Or he's already captured them," Kat added softly, voicing their common fear. Jason turned back to the others, answering Rocky's question himself. 

"We don't know that, and we don't know for sure that Mondo even knows they're there. Though I agree with Tanya, he's doing this deliberately. Mondo never does things without some reason or other. Alpha, keep trying to contact the others, see if you can find out where they are, and try to bring them back. See if you can deactivate the teleportation barrier. Meanwhile," he looked at the team, "whether we're at full force or not, we've got a job to do. Let's get him!" _Hurry back soon, guys,_ he urged his comrades on the moon. _I've got a feeling we're going to need you._

"There she is." The four young people stood just outside of a single cell near the top of the tower prison. Other cells were further down the hallway, but this one was the only one with the door wide open: with Kahva Kilanye's body lying inside. Sheena hesitantly moved to the form lying on a bed of straw. "Kahva Kilanye, blood of my blood, ancestor to me and my cousins, it's time to take you home." They all bowed their heads for a few moments in respect to the great warrior whose body lay before them, perfectly preserved. When they all looked up again, Billy was the first to break the silence as he scanned her body. 

"There's no decomposition whatsoever. It's as if she died moments ago, not thousands of years ago. No doubt a spell of Master Vile's." Billy indicated the heavy iron door they had forced open to reach the floor of cells. "He obviously didn't want any prisoners to escape from here, or anyone to reach them without his permission. That door didn't open very easily." He started to speculate further, but Sheena's awe-struck voice stopped him. 

"Can we move her?" Sheena softly asked. She was almost afraid to approach the body; she had seen the spirit, had seen her memories of that last day, possessed the memories of her entire life... but to see her lying there, almost as if asleep... it was wondrous and a little scary all at once. "Can we break the spell?" She didn't notice Kahva moving closer to the body at first. 

"I think so, I just need to finish the scans to be sure. The stasis generator should do the trick." 

"Sheena look," Kahva said, pointing to Kahva Kilanye's rings. "She has the exact same rings you do, and they haven't tarnished with age. Even the straw is okay." Kahva moved her hand to barely brush the dead woman's hands, folded solemnly in death. "And her - ah!" she cried, her body shocked rigidly straight. 

"Kahva!" Sheena screamed. The girl was transfixed by the corpse, her body immobile, as if held by an invisible force. "Billy, what's happening to her!" Sheena could feel her own heartbeat speed up with fright. _What do I do? _

"I don't know! Energy readings are going haywire in here, I can't get a fix on anything!" Then just as suddenly as Kahva's body had frozen, it relaxed and she sank to her knees beside the corpse. "Kahva?" Billy tentatively asked, placing a hand on her shoulder as he began to scan her. "Are you okay?" 

The young woman looked up at him with eyes that were not quite her own. "She is, and so am I. You are still so much like my Silias, Billy." 

Open-mouthed, the three Rangers stared at the familiar form of Kahva Briton as she stood up, appearing as normal as usual, except for one slight difference: the voice was that of Kahva Kilanye. "Thank you all for coming here. Now perhaps, with your help, I can go home and rest."

* * *

The Rangers' fight was not going well, Mondo's monster was keeping them at bay if not actually beating them. "We need the others!" Jason growled as he fired lasers at it from Pyramidus. The monster could be taken down by the Zeo MegaZord, or the Ultra BattleZord, he hoped, but they needed their absent comrades to assemble those fighting machines. "Alpha, any luck in breaking through to them?" 

"Ay-yi-yi, nothing yet, Jason," Alpha replied. "I'm still trying, though." 

"Keep it up, Alpha," the Gold Ranger encouraged the robot. "We've got to get some help down here." 

"I'll do my best," Alpha sounded confident, but Jason wasn't sure how much of that was real and how much was just to make him keep his mind on the battle at hand. Things had definitely changed since the days when he'd led the Rangers. He had to admit; Sheena was the one to lead them against the Machine Empire. She had a gut-deep understanding of their metallic foes that he couldn't quite get a grip on. _Get through that shield, Alpha. We need them back here: and not just for this fight._

* * *

"K-Kahva?" Sheena stammered. She _knew_ that voice, just as surely as the others did: it was unmistakably the voice of Kahva Kilanye. "If you're joking around, tell me now." 

"I usually saved bad jokes for the heat of battle to relieve tension, my descendant," she answered. "Reach out with your senses, and tell me who I am." Sheena did, reaching out with gut instinct, talents honed as a witch, and as a student and near-master of the art of ki-see. A few moments later, she looked at the body of her old friend in awe, trying to hide the tinge of fear in her voice. 

"Kahva Kilanye? It _is_ you, but - but... where's our Kahva? I don't understand -" 

"She is here, this is not something either of us expected, she most certainly did not expect this, I can assure you. I had thought I could contact you through her, she is exceptionally sensitive, but this - possession, or channeling, if you will, was not what I had in mind. But it is the only way I can talk to all of you, I have become too weak to do it on my own." 

"Is Kahva okay? Can we still talk to her?" Tommy asked. "No offense, but this is..." 

"Unnerving, I believe would be a good term," Billy supplied. "And a bit troubling, Kahva hasn't been here all that long..." Billy looked at Sheena helplessly, he didn't want to offend the great warrior. Kahva Kilanye spoke before Sheena could find her voice, however. 

"I understand, Billy. The suddenness of this must have looked frightening. Here," she said, and closed her eyes. A few moments later, she opened them, and the light in the eyes looked more like Kahva Briton. "Sheena?" came her voice. It was not as strong as usual, but not weak either. It was as if she were mildly sedated, but not so much that she couldn't talk. "I'm sorry, if I had known, I would've warned you. I was just so drawn, I didn't realize the pull I felt was her talking to me until I brushed her hand... her energy is so low, we have to get her out of here." 

"We will, trust me. Are you all right?" Sheena hadn't heard Kahva sound drugged like this except for once before: in the hospital after the accident, and it scared her. She clamped down on her fear, her friend and her ancestor came first. Kahva, one of them, if not both, seemed to sense that, and Kahva Briton's voice became a touch stronger. 

"I'm all right, it just takes a lot to... keep her, maintain her. Only one of us can really be dominant at a time, we don't have enough energy for both of us to be here at the same time. Vile's spell keeps her from her rest, we've got to take her body home to Eltar. Only then can she rest. The last warrior of the past has to be put to rest in peace, or her spirit will be lost forever." Kahva's voice still sounded a bit drugged, but the urgency was clear: she could feel the spirit's pain, it was a part of her. 

_You shall return, Sheena, when the first and the last of the past come home here to Eltar, you shall return,_ Master Madas' words came back to Sheena. _ This is what he meant, it has to be._ "Kahva, one of you, please tell us what exactly what's going on here." The older girl closed her eyes again. When they opened, the light in them was again that of Kahva Kilanye. 

"I am sorry to cause you such distress, Sheena." Kahva went over to her and hugged her, trying to calm her. "I used most of the rest of my energy to see you at your wedding, and to talk to you afterwards. I had thought that I would be able to cross over after that, but the spell Vile has placed on my body ties me here too strongly. I no longer have the strength to break its hold. The spell must be broken, and my body put to rest on Eltar for me to be free." 

"I think that just removing your body will do the trick, Kahva," Billy stated, after checking his scanner. "The energy I'm reading around your body only covers this floor of the prison. We won't know until we try, though." 

"Why didn't you say something?" Sheena asked. "Why didn't you tell us what Vile had done to you, to your body?" 

Kahva sighed, a touch of sadness in her voice. "I didn't want to worry you, Sheena. You had just gotten married, you were finally getting to show to everyone how much you loved each other. I did not know, perhaps I did not want to believe how much my power had been drained. After I realized I couldn't leave, I did not want to bother you with my troubles, you all had gone through so much." She looked back at her body, then turned again to Sheena. "I decided to quietly stay here, I had accomplished my task: you were safe, and had claimed your birthright by becoming the Silver Ranger." 

"What changed your mind?" Tommy gently asked. 

Kahva sighed once again. "I decided to try and visit all of you, or try to appear to Sheena at least, one more time to say good-bye. This was yesterday, while you were all in the park. You started to talk about home, Sheena, and I wanted to see it myself so much... I nearly left then, I had tried to appear to you, but found I did not have the strength. But as I started to leave, I found I could contact Kahva, though I was so weak, it was only on a sub-conscious level, she wasn't even aware I was talking to her. She only knew that once you decided to come here, she had to come also. That was me asking her to come. I knew that my only chance of being freed was to try and contact you, to let you know where I was, if you couldn't find me yourself. Your friend is the only way I have of talking to you now, though I had thought to only relay my words to you through her, not possess her. I never intended to do that. I needed to talk to you, to help you take my body home, if you were able. And to warn you also." 

"Warn us? Warn us about what?" Sheena's senses were on full alert now. Having an outside danger to focus on helped her to shove down the memories this place was dredging up. 

"There is an old evil in this place again. Who or what, I'm not exactly sure yet, but I have felt it brush through the halls, I felt it when I tried to talk to you yesterday in the park..." Kahva seemed to be listening to a voice only she could hear. "Yes, yes, you are right... Kahva says that she saw some claw marks on a tree in the park, and thought perhaps someone was watching you. You agreed with that Sheena, and you were both right. Something was there, watching all of you. If I were stronger, I might have been able to find out who or what it was." 

"Speaking of strength," Billy cautiously broke in. "Kahva is the way we got in here, she shifted us in. Even though she uses one of us as a 'battery', of sorts, it still takes a bit out of her to do it. There's a barrier up Kahva, we can't teleport through it normally. Is Kahva still going to be able to get all of us out of here? Is she going to be strong enough?" 

Kahva Kilanye tilted her head in a way that was eerily like the way Kahva Briton would, and for a moment, they all thought they would be talking to their friend again. But it was Kahva Kilanye's voice that answered them. "She says she'll be okay, but she is giving me so much of her personal energy, she may not be okay later. I'm trying not to draw on her anymore than I have to." Sheena frowned for a second, then her face brightened as a thought hit her. 

"What if you had another energy source? Can you absorb energy? If you can, you could absorb some from me, then you wouldn't have to draw on Kahva so much." Kahva thought it over and smiled. 

"It's worth a try." She took Sheena's hands in her own, and a moment later both women glowed with a faint silver light. It lasted for only a few seconds, then they released each other. "Thank you Sheena," Kahva Kilanye's voice was stronger, clearer, and very grateful. "Kahva can rest some now. We must not tarry here too long though, the evil has gotten stronger." 

"Do you know who or what it is, yet?" 

"No, Tommy. But I am sure of one thing. If we stay here long enough to find out, we may not be able to leave, ever."

* * *

"You have your orders. When I signal you, you will activate the trap. Do not let any of them escape." Master Vile watched as the Cogs hurried to take their positions. "I don't care what happens to the others, but the Silver Ranger is to be trapped alive, is that understood?" The Cogs all nodded their understanding and left to do the evil wizard's bidding. Vile strode through the ramshackle hallway, littered with broken bricks and rotting wood. "Such a waste, this was a grand place in _my_ day." Then he smiled. "And it will be once again: after I have my revenge." 

Vile stiffened and looked up, as if he could see through the stone ceiling. "So, you're still here Kilanye, you haven't faded away. Strange that your presence should be so strong... It matters not where you are drawing your strength from, it will do you no good. I will have my revenge on you, by destroying your chosen heir. Then you will watch her friends rot away up here... in fact, I think I'll let your body get a head start on them. Then you can roam the old halls for all eternity, knowing how badly you've failed." He waved his hand absently in the air, then cackled. "Funny how quickly fifteen thousand years can catch up with a corpse."

* * *

"Sheena, what's wrong?" 

It was Kahva Briton's voice that spoke this time. Kahva Kilanye had been telling Billy how her body was withstanding the energy of the stasis generator, and all was going well so far. But while Kahva Kilanye temporarily had re-entered her own body, Kahva Briton had been herself, and had been watching Sheena closely. "N-nothing's wrong. Just a lot of old memories, that's all." Kahva shook her head at the girl. 

"I've known you for too long to believe that line, Sheena Devereaux Cranston. What's wrong?" 

Sheena smiled and tried to put her off. "Nothing is wrong, you worry too much." Any further interrogation from her friend was delayed as Kahva turned to Kahva Kilanye's body, as if the spirit had spoken aloud. She touched the warrior's hand, stiffened slightly, though not as much as she had the first time, and Kahva Kilanye's spirit entered her. 

"I believe the stasis generator will work just as you planned, Billy," she said. As she and Billy continued to work over her preserved form, Sheena found herself staring at the fifteen-thousand year old body, lying so pale and peaceful in death. Memories from a month earlier that she had been fighting surged forward again, and instead of the first Silver Ranger's body lying in the cell, she saw the form of her friend, Kahva Briton, lying on Klank's insidious laboratory table, strapped down, and in pain... so much pain... She could see her friend's face, deathly pale even under the dirt and grime from her imprisonment, her chest scarcely rising and falling with each breath... She could see her eyes, full of fear and despair... and feel her own defeat at hand, trapped helplessly behind Mondo's force field, unable to rescue her friend, seeing no avenue of escape for her friend, save one. 

"Sheena," Kahva Kilanye's voice brought her back to the present. "Please, tell us what is bothering you. There is no shame in honesty, sharing does not make you weak." 

_Does she know? Both of them? _ Sheena wondered. She could feel both Kahvas looking at her, she could feel their concern. She considered putting them off again, but with the memories so overwhelming, she could no longer keep the guilt inside. "He won. He beat me." 

"Who?" Tommy looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean, what are you talking about?" 

"Mondo won a month ago. He wanted me to surrender to him before he would let Kahva go: and I surrendered to him. It's only because of Billy and Jason that he never found out." Sheena's eyes came dangerously close to filling with tears. "You weren't there, he was killing her! He claimed he wasn't, but I was there, I saw what he and Klank were doing, they were killing Kahva! She couldn't have lasted much longer with everything they were doing to her... I didn't know of anyway to save her, except to surrender to Mondo. I was about to say the words, when Billy signaled that he and Jason had accomplished their mission." Sheena looked at Kahva, shame covering her face. "I should've chosen your path, death before serving Mondo, but if I had, he would've killed her. I didn't know for sure if I could break the force field..." 

"Sheena... Sheena," Kahva softly spoke. "If I had been in the same position, if it had been Silias, or one of the other Rangers or a friend or stranger in that situation, I may have done the same thing. I chose death over serving Vile because I knew my friends were safe, and that by denying Vile my servitude, I could keep them safe to fight another day. If they were still his prisoners though... I dare say my choice probably would have been different." 

"It's okay, Sheena," Tommy assured her. "We would've understood if you had made that choice then, we understand now. Mondo put you in the worst position possible. The important thing is you're not under his control." 

"And we rescued Kahva and Daniel, they're both safe," Billy added. "It's okay Sheena, you don't have anything to worry about, or to be ashamed of. We love you. I love you, remember that." Sheena half-heartedly returned her husband's embrace, plastering a small fake smile on her face. 

"Yeah... listen, I'm going to check down the hallway, make sure there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for us, and to see if there's another way out down that way, just in case we need it." Before Kahva Briton could resurface in her body, Sheena was gone. 

"She's not dealing with this too well," she said, looking after her soul-sister. "She's got nothing to be ashamed of, I wish I could make her see that. It's not her fault what Mondo and Klank did to Daniel and me." Tommy placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. 

"She's got to want to talk about it, you can't make her. She'll be okay." 

"I hope so. Let's get the generator set up and running, we need to get out of here. We can both feel the evil here, it's getting stronger." The three young people worked quickly and quietly for a few minutes, and just as Billy was about to activate the generator, Kahva stiffened and took a sharp breath. 

"What's wrong?" Billy moved to her, thinking to steady her. But when she looked at him, it was Kahva Kilanye once again. 

"He's back. I can feel him, _Vile's back!"_

* * *

"I don't believe this!" Mondo stared into his viewing screen. He watched as Sheena confessed to something he had never dreamed of, had never expected had happened. He'd done it! He'd broken her, and hadn't even known! If it hadn't been for the Sapphire and Gold Rangers having the worst timing in the universe, he would have had her back! 

"Sire?" Klank was near the throne, he hadn't been paying attention to the screen. 

"I had her! She was going to surrender!" Mondo laughed. "This is priceless! I had her a month ago, and now I will have her again!" 

He watched as Sheena left the others, heading down the old hallway. Mondo smiled evilly. "Not much longer, my Ranger. Not much longer at all. You are mine already, you just haven't figured it out yet.

* * *

Adam fell back from the fight, letting Tanya fire Zeo Zord II's lasers at the creature. "We've got to do something, this thing is wearing us out!" 

"There's still been no luck getting through to the others," Kat reported. "We're going to need their help, that's all there is to this!" 

"Man, I hope they're all right!" Rocky groaned as Mondo's monster nearly picked his own Zord up. Only his quick maneuvering managed to keep him from a very nasty accident. "This is happening at the absolute worst time!" 

"I think that's Mondo's plan," Jason sighed. "I think he knew they were going somehow." 

"How?" Adam wondered. 

"Who knows?" Jason shrugged as he fired another batch of lasers at the creature. "It's just a feeling I have."

* * *

"Ay-yi-yi, Zordon, I still can't break these shields, I don't know what the problem is!" Alpha wailed in frustration. The little droid ran around the Power Chamber, seeking endlessly for some way to shatter the barrier around the moon palace. The Rangers needed Sheena, Tommy and Billy in the fight, and something must have happened for them not to be back yet. It shouldn't have taken this long to get everything done. 

KEEP TRYING, ALPHA. Zordon told him. WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH TO THEM. 

"I'm doing my best, Zordon!" Alpha told him. "But this is harder than any shield I've ever seen before!"

* * *

_I failed them, and I failed myself. I know that, even if they don't._ Sheena walked down the hallway, half checking for another way out, but mostly involved in her own mournful thoughts. _ If I didn't love them both so much, I swear I think I'd ki -_

She stopped that thought in its tracks as a cold chill ran down her spine._ No. I didn't think that. I didn't feel that. I couldn't have. I'm not like that anymore, I'm not evil, I wasn't even evil by nature, it was forced on me! That was only a dream last night, it wasn't real!_

Sheena didn't like the images that the dream had conjured up in her. She shook as she realized there was a part of her that lived only to fight, to kill, to hurt others. Most of the images in her dream had been memories. Twisted, warped memories, but things that had happened nonetheless. But the last part: where she had tortured and slowly killed of her own will Billy and Kahva, the two people closest to her in all the world... that had shaken her to the core. She could still taste the sweet power and control her dream dark half had reveled in as she drove the Silver Sword and Power Lance into them. 

She couldn't honestly tell herself it hadn't attracted her, in a perverted sort of way. To have such perfect control of herself, to know and accept herself for all she was, was what Sheena had longed for since the first moment Klank's potion had burned its way down her throat. Though she had only known part of herself before then, hadn't known her ancestry and the power that slept within her, she had still been able to control herself, and no one had ever controlled her. 

Until that horrible moment when the Cogs had appeared in her apartment, taken her to Mondo, who'd sent her to Klank's lab... the potion... the draining away of her memories and her sense of self, something... something had split within her, she remembered the pain of it. When she'd awakened from the semi-coma the potion had put her into while it changed her, she had known only evil and destruction and battle. That part of her ruled until Billy had called her by her real name, until his voice of love and strength had given her a way back to herself, to what and who she wanted to be. 

_But you liked being evil, didn't you?_ a small, insidious voice whispered in her mind. _You liked not having to worry about anything but what Mondo told you to do. You want it now. It was freedom... ultimate freedom: and you loved it._

"No," she whispered. "It was slavery of the worst kind, because I couldn't even think my own thoughts! All I knew was what he wanted me to know." 

_No pain. No regrets. No sorrow or grief. Nothing but power. Nothing but control._

"No love. No joy," she replied to whoever or whatever it was. "Nothing but hate." 

Sheena stopped and leaned against the wall, trying to get control of herself again. She closed her eyes, only to see repeats of the nightmare images replaying on her closed eyelids. Tears coursed down her cheeks, tears of shame and pain. _He beat me, and I don't even know anymore if I ever really wanted to stop working for him in the first place! A part of me... a part of me didn't want to stop, because a part of me wants to kill forever. And that's a part of me... that must never gain control._

"SHEENA!" The strangled, fearful voice was that of Kahva... Kahva Briton, her friend, her sister. She was in danger. Sheena was running back towards the tower prison almost before the first echo of her name had faded. Boiling out of everywhere it seemed, all around her, all around them, were Cogs.

* * *

"We've got to get out of here!" Tommy yelled above the din. The Cogs had tried to prevent him from morphing, but he had eluded their grasp, they didn't get his Zeonizer. Others had tried to capture and gag Billy before he could morph, but Kahva, he was sure it was Kahva Briton, had whacked at them and kept them away from Billy long enough for him to morph: but at a price. She was lying on the floor, she had taken a blow to the head. He could see Sheena running to them, a fierce scowl crossing her face. "Hurry, Sheena!" Movement to the side caught his eye, Kahva was up and fighting again. _ That was quick. Hope she can still get us out_. "Where are they all coming from?" he yelled to Billy. He didn't get an answer, he hadn't really expected one. 

_Mondo had a hand in this,_ Sheena thought. She could see Billy and Tommy had already morphed and were keeping the Cogs away from Kahva Kilanye's body. Kahva Briton was fighting as well, her quarterstaff extended to full length. The teaching part of Sheena's mind noted her soul-sister was fighting with more than her normal skill; probably Kahva Kilanye was helping some, without fully taking over. But when she reached out to sense her sister's mind, she could only touch her ancestor's. Kahva Kilanye had taken over completely, Kahva Briton wasn't conscious. _ You'll pay for that Mondo, you hurt my sister!_ Sheena's anger continued to build. 

"Silver Ranger Power!" She morphed and pulled the Silver Sword out, slicing through three Cogs in the same motion. Their metallic structure couldn't stand up to her blade, forged from the purest metals in the universe and cooled in the Mystic Springs of Eltar, which had still retained some of their magic, even after their destruction. 

"We're about ready to go, just get back here, and we can leave these metalheads here!" Billy called to her._ He hasn't sensed the change, she realized, but maybe Kahva Kilanye can use Kahva's power to get us out. I just have to get to them is all._ Sheena nodded and started towards them, carving a path through the Cogs. But for every five she dissected, ten more seemed to take their place. Sheena fought with all the skill and strength she had in her, then slowly noticed she was being forced farther and farther away from the others._ No, I have to get control, I have to get to them! _ Sheena's anger and frustration ran higher, she couldn't even focus enough to use her _ki-see_ training, she was merely brawling fiercely with the Cogs. 

"Sheena!" Billy caught her gaze with his own, and she could feel his fear and panic as even more Cogs surged up between them. The foot soldiers seemed to be concentrating on Sheena, on keeping her away from her friends. As she realized that, a strange sort of berserker rage filled her. 

"NO!" she screamed, demorphing suddenly. The others stared, not believing what they were seeing. A lone Cog had pulled out a small, hand-held device with a tiny red light on top of it, his hand hovered over the toggle switch under the light. His action drew her attention to the unfortunate Cog. "NO!" she repeated, grabbing him and throwing him into a full dozen of his brothers. The device flew out of his hands, landing near Billy, the little red light flashing. They could all feel a slight vibration in the room, but it was the powered down Silver Ranger who held their attention. "NO!" Sheena yelled savagely a third time, and with a kick that put what she'd used to knock the door down at the bottom of the stairs to shame, she knocked another batch of Cogs against a wooden pillar. The impact knocked it down, and a strange, low rumbling sound filled the tower. 

"Sheena!" Kahva Kilanye cried out. "Calm yourself, you're losing control!' 

That was entirely the wrong thing to say at that moment. The nightmare, the memories being there conjured up, knowing that they knew her shame now, the Cog attack, all combined into a blinding red rage that sent her plowing into the Cogs that surrounded her. They fell back before her near-insane attack, but she kept following them, wanting only to tear and shred and render them into nothing but useless pieces of scrap metal. 

Mortar and stone began to fall around them as the ceiling began to cave in. The pillar the Cogs had destroyed by falling into it had apparently held up part of the roof, and with it gone, a cave-in was beginning. Sheena didn't notice, the only thing on her mind was causing Mondo the largest Cog repair bill in history.

* * *

"Sheena!" Tommy called after his cousin as he tried to fight his way towards her. "Sheena, what's wrong with you!" Sheena wasn't listening, he could see tears in her eyes and on her cheeks, and a horror in those eyes that dwarfed anything he'd ever thought could come from her. He suddenly wondered what Billy and Kahva were feeling, both were linked to her... 

He turned, only to see that the Cogs had left. They were all surging after Sheena, who was obviously having the time of her life destroying them even as the roof fell around her. At the twin looks of sheer panic on Kahva and Billy's faces, he turned back to see the ceiling collapse all around Sheena, and she was lost behind a pile of rubble and wood that had once been the ceiling. 

"NO!" he screamed in strange echo of her previous cry. "No, it can't be!" She can't be - 

"Tommy," a consoling voice floated over his shoulder, a comforting hand following it. It was Kahva Kilanye, still in Kahva Briton's body. "Tommy, Sheena lives still. If she were dead, I would have sensed the releasing of the Silver Powers." 

"She was insane," Billy whispered brokenly. "Something... something drove her to insanity, or so close to it, it makes no difference. I could feel the pain inside her, and I couldn't help her. I tried... but she was pushing me away, I don't think she even noticed I was 'speaking' to her." 

Kahva Kilanye was quiet, thoughtful. _Is she listening to an inner voice? Maybe our Kahva? _ Tommy wondered. _ Why hasn't our Kahva resurfaced yet?_ "It was the same with me, she was pushing everyone and everything away. And now I can't feel her at all, but she's alive. I'd know if she were dead, we both would, Billy. So would Kahva. But something is wrong with Sheena, something I can't help. None of us can. Whatever it is, she has to get through it: on her own."

* * *

Vile watched invisibly as the Cogs drove Sheena away from the others, and into what looked like a frenzy of madness. He was almost impressed as she dismantled Cog after Cog with her bare hands. "My, my, my," he muttered under his breath. "I can see why Mondo wants to control her so badly; I had no idea there was such rage in her. I like it." 

He spared a glance for her companions, who stared in shocked helplessness as Sheena quite literally ripped Cogs apart. A low, vicious chuckle escaped him. "So, you fear for her sanity? You have no idea of what is to come for her. It will get worse... much, much worse... for her, and for you all." 

He had no more time to indulge himself in tormenting them, even if they couldn't see or hear him at the moment. He had work... No, he corrected himself mentally. _It will be a pure pleasure to destroy her once and for all. After all, the end of the Silver Line is fifteen thousand years overdue._

* * *

"Sheena, please wake up!" the gentle voice urged her back to life. "Oh, if those things killed you, I don't care what it takes, I'll get them back!" 

Sheena's eyes flickered, and for a moment, she believed the past twenty-five months had been nothing but an incredibly real dream. For the face she woke up to simply could not be in the universe she'd claimed as a home; it wasn't possible without Kahva, and Kahva was... Kahva... where was Kahva? She couldn't quite remember, the last thing she'd seen was the Cogs being all around them... 

She sat up and groaned as her head spun a painfully merry dance. "Easy, Sheena," her friend told her. "You got hit pretty bad." 

"I'll be okay," she told him. "I've got to find the others; Kahva, Tommy and Billy are still around here somewhere." 

"They'll be okay without you for a while," he reassured her. "You need to rest still." 

"I'll be fine," Sheena said harshly. "My friends need me." 

"No, they don't," he told her just as harshly. "They can make it out of here without you. That's what you want, for them to be safe, right?" 

Sheena was taken aback a bit by his sudden attitude shift. "Yes, of course, but I want to get out of here too! Hey, wait... how did you get here, Josh? Kahva hasn't been shifting without telling us, has she?" she teased a trifle. 

Josh looked back at her sadly. "No, she hasn't. Mondo brought me here. I've been here about two days, I think. I can't keep track of time." 

Sheena went chalk-white. "You've been here... and I didn't know? But..." 

Her old friend sighed. "I think he's planning to get all your old friends, Sheena. But he could only get me to start with, I don't know why. He said something about keeping me here so you and the other Rangers wouldn't find out what he's planning so soon." 

The Silver Ranger nodded almost absently, then regretted it as a sharp pain shot through her skull. "That must be why the Cogs were here; I'm glad I found you... you found me... whatever happened." 

"I found you," Josh smiled, that old familiar smile. She knew it well. "Those Cogs were dragging you from under some rubble, I managed to get you away from them, and brought you down here." 

Sheena glanced around, taking in where they were. She shivered as one of Kahva Kilanye's memories surfaced yet again; this was one of the cells the first Rangers had been held in during their imprisonment by Vile, in the lower regions of the palace. _Silias' cell... Not the best choice you could've made, little brother. But at least Vile isn't here now._

* * *

Tommy looked anxiously at the resting form of Kahva Briton, her eyes closed, breathing slow and relaxed._ When she opens her eyes, who are we going to get? Will Kahva be conscious, or will Kahva Kilanye still have to stay in control?_ Just before she had sat her borrowed body down on the stone floor, the first Silver Ranger had told them Kahva was unconscious from the blow she'd taken, and that she had taken over the young woman's body to help them in the fight. It was frightening, because it meant the fifteen thousand year old spirit had used up nearly all of the energy she'd absorbed from Sheena, and they weren't sure if she could use Billy or Tommy's. So she had sat down to rest, so they both could recover. Billy had powered down and was dealing with the events the only way he knew: he was trying to find out just what had caused the cave-in, and if there was a way to get through or around it. Tommy walked over to him, hoping there was a way he could help. _I hate this, I feel useless!_ He looked at his communicator, they'd found out after the fight that they couldn't contact the Power Chamber._ Mondo's sent a monster down, I bet. He's predictable that way. Send a monster when they're not at full strength. Hope the others are doing ok, we're going to be here a while, I think._

"Any change?" Billy asked without even looking up from his scanner. He'd heard Tommy approach, and as he looked into the demorphed Red Ranger's eyes, he could feel his worry. 

"Not yet, she - they - man, this is confusing... are still resting. I hope they're going to be okay. Any news here?" Billy nodded, a tight, grim smile covering his features. 

"This was a trap from the start. Kahva said she sensed Vile, right before everything went nuts. I'm willing to bet that he was the one who left those marks on the that tree in the park. He spied on us, knew what we were planning, and set this trap. Look here," he said, calling up the summary of the scanner's log of their trip through the palace for Tommy to see. "There have been Cogs all over the place, trying to mask themselves, but the scanner did pick up on their energy as traps. We avoided areas that showed up as traps, thereby avoiding the Cogs. They didn't start moving until the hallway before that last room we were in." 

"Where the robot was," Tommy finished. Though he didn't have the link with Billy that Sheena did, he had known Billy long enough to realize they were feeling the same thing: Kahva Briton had been hurt trying to help both of them, and that wasn't easy for them to accept. Tommy looked at their friend sitting on the floor and sighed. "She's pretty tough. After everything that has happened to her this past month, she still fights Cogs if they show up around her, she's shifted some of us out of a couple of tight spots, she gave that robot a hard time downstairs..." 

"And she kept the Cogs away from me so I could morph. And what thanks does she get? A cut hand, knocked unconscious, and Sheena's missing. She doesn't know it yet, but when she wakes up, she'll know instantly." Tommy moved to place a calming hand on Billy's shoulder, the Sapphire Ranger was shaking slightly with frustration and anger. "It's not fair, she's not a Ranger!" 

"That sounds like Sheena talking," Tommy smiled a little. "No, she's not a Ranger, but she would make a good one, I think. But there aren't any other Ranger powers floating around, as much as I wish there were." 

"If wishes were horses, then pigs could fly," Billy recited the old rhyme. "Yeah. Like we keep trying to tell Sheena, Kahva knows the risks, and she doesn't take them lightly. She avoids battle whenever she can, so she won't be in our way. Still doesn't change the unfairness of her getting hurt when she's helping us." Tommy couldn't disagree, he felt the same way. After a few moments, Billy spoke again. "I think Kahva's shifting us in here did just what it was supposed to do, it kept us from being noticed for most of the time, right up to just before the robot. We must've tripped a silent alarm, because the log shows the Cogs moving shortly after that. They got into place and waited to ambush us." 

"Waited for a signal from Vile. He would've been able to trap all of us together if not for the cave-in." 

"No, that was deliberate too. Look here," Billy pointed to the remains of the wooden pillar. "For one thing, this wood is too new. It was put in here recently. I found what looks like part of a stone pillar in the rubble, I believe it was the original pillar. And for the other," he said, picking up the remains of the device one of the Cogs had held, "this looks to be a remote control for a detonator. Remember that rumbling sound? The wood pillar is charred in places, like it was burned," 

"From an explosion. And the Cogs were trying to keep her away from us, it looked like. They wanted Sheena, all of this was to get Sheena... why? If this is Master Vile's doing, why?" 

"That's the million-dollar question. And there's something else to consider. We fought _Cogs,_ not Tengas. That can only mean one thing: Mondo and Master Vile are working together."

* * *

"No progress yet, Zordon," Alpha reported. "I can't break through the communications barrier, or the teleportation barrier." Alpha sounded more worried than usual, and his tone did not slip by Zordon. 

WHAT IS IT ALPHA? WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND? Alpha sent his readings to him, and Zordon didn't like what they showed anymore than Alpha had. Jason's voice over the communications speaker brought their attention back to the planetside emergency. 

"Zordon, Alpha, this thing is wearing us down! Any luck yet with the others?" 

NOT YET JASON. WE STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONTACT THEM, OR BRING THEM BACK. ALPHA HAS PICKED UP ON STRONG SURGES OF ENERGY, THOUGH. SOME OF THE SURGES ARE MECHANICAL, SOME ARE SURGES OF DARK MAGIC. 

"Dark magic? As in Rita and Zedd's old traps?" Kat's voice broke in. 

WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT YET, KATHERINE. WE ARE STILL PICKING UP THEIR LIFE SIGNS, THEY ARE ALIVE. Jason knew his old mentor too well, he could tell Zordon was holding something back, but didn't want to worry them in battle. Surreptitiously he tapped into the Power Chamber's sensors and scanned the information Alpha had discovered. 

"Keep us posted, Zordon. If we have to take the Zords to the Lunar Palace, we'll do it." Jason signed off and looked skyward briefly. The information he'd read replayed in his mind: the Silver Power had fluctuated wildly, then shut down. And a separate life sign, Kahva's, had been gone from being identifiable to something not quite hers. "Let's take this thing down, guys!" Jason called to his teammates in their Zords. _We've got to beat this thing and find a way to get up there, something is seriously wrong. _ As he fought alongside the other Rangers, his mind kept going back to his friends on the moon, wondering what was going on, and if they would be able to help them in time.

* * *

"Billy?" 

Both Rangers looked up from their searching at the sound of Kahva's voice - their Kahva. "You okay, Kahva?" Billy asked as he rushed to her side, Tommy on his heels. She smiled, her voice was subdued, still sounding drugged, but more so than before. 

"I was afraid the Cogs had gotten you, but right before I passed out, I could feel Kahva trying to take over. From what she tells me, she was able to, and you were able to morph." 

"Thanks to you. Are you okay?" he asked again, but she still didn't answer. Billy wondered if she was coherent enough to understand him. 

"And Sheena's in there," her smile fading with her voice. "I messed up. I should've backed off, I should've picked up on how uncomfortable my coming along made her..." Before Tommy or Billy could reassure her, her eyes closed, then reopened with the light of Kahva Kilanye. 

"She didn't mess up! Sheena understood she wanted to go, understood completely the reason why once you were channeled. Kahva's the whole reason we got as far as we did, her shifting us into the palace kept us from being detected for so long. She helped me, she helped Tommy -" 

"But she wasn't able to help Sheena. I'm trying to help her understand, Billy," the first Silver Ranger told him. "But she knows what I saw now, and it hurts her as much as it did us when it happened. She's still feeling that maybe things would have turned out for the better if she hadn't come. It's more from not being able to help Sheena right now, I think she's understanding a little better, though she feels a bit helpless right now." 

"We all do. Billy and I haven't been able to find a way around the cave-in yet." Tommy studied Kahva's face, the spirit's voice was weaker than before. "Are you going to be able to stay?" 

"I don't know, I think maybe so, but I'm being pulled away by something..." Kahva's eyes shut and reopened, their Kahva's drugged sounding voice was back, and filled with urgency. "I'm losing her, something's pulling her away. She's fading... her body..." This time when Kahva's eyes closed, they didn't reopen. Billy paled, then stared hard at the body of Kahva Kilanye. 

"Has he?" Billy grabbed the scanner and quickly checked the corpse. "Vile's removed the spell, the body has started to decompose, get the generator Tommy!" The Red Ranger grabbed it from the pack he'd carried it in, it had been forgotten in the fight, and the search after the cave-in. A minute later Billy had it running, a soft hum emanating from within it. "Decomposition halted, there's not much damage, thank goodness." 

"Thank you Billy, Tommy. If my body perishes here, my spirit will be trapped in these walls for all eternity; I won't have the strength to contact anyone, not even the Rangers who passed on after my death, much less leave this place." Kahva Kilanye was back, her voice a little stronger, and now with a different kind of need to it. "Please sit, there is much you need to know, and I may not have time to tell you later. Most important right now is rescuing Sheena, but there are things both she and Kahva need to know. I'm trying to have Kahva rest now, she'll need her strength later to shift you all out." 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Billy asked, but he and Tommy still sat down as she had requested. 

"I am sure that I need to tell you both, and that you need to tell Sheena of this. I will make sure Kahva has the knowledge." She paused, as if gathering the strength to accomplish one last mission. "As you know, one reason Kahva felt drawn to come here is because I was asking her to come. She didn't know that I was asking her, she only knew that she felt she needed to come. But she would've felt that way even without me, for our families are connected." 

"Yeah, she and Sheena are as tightly connected as Sheena and I am. I'm pretty sure I'm even connected to Kahva through Sheena, though we haven't really tested that theory." 

Kahva shook her head. "It goes beyond that Billy. When I was young, not yet a teenager, during the time Master Vile was trying to kill all of Elysia's family, to get back at them and Zordon, I helped two of Elysia's great-nephews escape Vile's men. Their father, her brother Seth's son, was very grateful, he told me that our families would always have a very special connection. So you see, because of what happened back then, Sheena and Kahva are drawn to each other through their blood. But I don't think even Elysia's nephew suspected a connection this strong would ever be made. He did say we would always know each other though, by our rings. Look at my hands, both of you." Billy and Tommy turned to look at the corpse preserved in the generator's field, looking at the rings on her hands. Just like Sheena, she wore two silver rings, one on the forefinger of each hand. On her right there was a ruby, encircled by hearts, on the left, a moonstone with stars, a crescent moon, and a comet. 

Billy frowned, "But Kahva doesn't have rings like that." 

"I know, that is a mystery. I know from being here in her, with her, that she doesn't remember ever having rings like those. There are many things about Kahva that remain to be discovered." 

"Billy may be following you here, but I think I'm a little lost, Kahva... man, this is weird, both of you here like this is a little too much for me to keep up with." 

"It's all right Tommy," Kahva Kilanye assured him. "The rings are a symbol not only of the Silver Power, and the first-born female in each generation of the Silver Line, but of a bond of friendship made long ago, between myself and Elysia's nephew. Between our families. I have even been helped by Elysia herself." 

"What? She died before you were born, what do you mean?" As he had been over a year ago in Mondo's dungeon, Billy found himself fascinated by Kahva's story-telling. The look on Tommy's face told him he was thoroughly engrossed as well. 

"In her spirit form, she was able to know I was searching for my chosen heir. Elysia knew I couldn't be there at the moment of Sheena's birth, that my attentions had to be with another of my line to see if my heir would be there, so she was present at Sheena's birth. She wasn't strong enough to stop Vile, but Elysia, without Vile's knowledge, was able to use most all of her remaining energy to alter Vile's spell. She made sure that Sheena ended up on the same world as her own descendants, not in one of Vile's dark dimensions. She was even able to make sure she would be on the same continent her line had lived on, which ended up placing Sheena and Kahva only a few hundred miles apart from each other. She knew it was only a matter of time before their blood would draw them closer." Billy and Tommy stared wide-eyed at each other, the unspoken question that had haunted them for a month had just been answered. Deliberate action, not chance, had put the girls in the same dimension, and so close to each other. 

"Elysia found her last descendant, your Kahva Briton, the one the essence and her gifts had gone to," Kahva continued, her voice getting softer, slightly weaker from the effort of telling them what they had to know. "Sheena and Kahva were by that time, and by happy accident, in the same town." Kahva smiled slightly at Billy. "Sheena has also had a trial, similar to yours, Billy, to determine if she were truly worthy of the Silver Power, though she does not realize it. It was after Sheena's trial that they met. They've been friends ever since. They would've been friends even without their blood, I know this by being here with Kahva now, and because I know my heir. They truly are soul-sisters, that will never change. Blood could not stronger or closer sisters make. Please, tell Sheena of this, and do not let Kahva blame herself for what has happened, which is what she is doing now. This could not be helped. I needed her here, and she also had the right to be here, even if I had not needed her. Be ready to help Sheena deal with her demons, I fear she too is blaming herself for things she cannot control." Kahva sighed tiredly, her voice sounding with all fifteen thousand exhausting years of searching for her chosen heir. "Now, we must both rest for a few moments, I must not draw too much of Kahva's energy, for she is giving it too willingly to me. We will both need to be strong, for we both sense something cold and malevolent here, it is Master Vile, I'm sure of it. Billy, Tommy... you must find Sheena, and quickly." With that, she closed her eyes, and both Kahvas rested. 

"I only hope we can find her," Billy said softly. 

Tommy looked at Billy, "What did she mean, 'the one the essence and her gifts went to'? What essence?" 

Billy shrugged, for all the answers they had now, it seemed they had been left with even more questions than before. "As she said, there are many things about Kahva to be discovered. I get the feeling that's going to be one of them. Come on, let's see if we can find a way around the cave-in. Like Kahva said, we've got to find Sheena." As they resumed their search, Billy reached out mentally, hoping to somehow contact his wife. He kept it up, even though he received no answer from her. 

_I love you Sheena, and I'm going to get you out of here._

* * *

Sheena glanced at her friend. Her head ached horribly, she hadn't been feeling well to start with. A night filled with nightmares and no sleep did nothing for her state of mind. Then nearly going insane and getting hit with a half-ton of stone and mortar, after already being mentally tormented by the confession she'd made about Mondo beating her... 

"Sheena?" Josh asked gently. "What's wrong? You look worried." 

"I'm concerned... Tommy, Kahva, Billy," she'd already told him of their mission. "I need to get to them." 

"If they're still alive," Josh said darkly. 

"What do you mean?" Sheena stared at him. "They're still alive. I'd know if they weren't." 

"How?" he raised an eyebrow. "How could you know? How can you be sure?" 

"I'm linked to Kahva and to Billy," she explained. "We're a part of each other. I'd know if they were... if anything had happened to them." 

"Then try to sense them, to reach them, or whatever it is you do," Josh suggested. Sheena took a beep breath, closed her eyes, and reached out with all her heart towards Kahva and Billy. All the blood drained out of her face as she met only darkness with her mind. 

"I can't feel them," she whispered, turning away from Josh "They're not... there." 

Behind her, Josh smiled thinly, then said, "They were there when you brought the ceiling down on that other room. They're probably dead. 

"That would be why I can't reach Kahva or Billy," Sheena whispered. Her heart ached with a sudden pain. Her sister, her husband, her cousin... dead. _How? It... it's my fault. _ "Because I lost control." 

Josh nodded. "Sheena, you aren't needed here anymore. You've killed your whole family. Do you think the Rangers will want you back now?" 

Sheena was in a state of shock. Her head throbbed and she couldn't seem to think straight. She could hear that small voice in her mind again, insidious and hateful. _All you've worked for in this world is gone. Everything is gone that kept you here: your love, your sister, your cousin. The Rangers won't want you as one of them, much less their leader, once they find out what happened._

"Sheena," Josh's voice was low and persuasive. "Mondo's going after our other friends. They need you to protect them, like you couldn't me, or Kahva, or any of the others." 

Sheena wasn't consciously listening, but her friend's voice sunk into her brain and heart. "I tried to help them." 

"You failed from here," she heard him say. "But at home, you could protect them." 

Sheena struggled with what he was saying. She could still hear the voice. _There is nothing here for you. If you remain here, you know you will go to Mondo in the end. Your true heart is evil, and you know it. The only chance you have is to go home. Back to the world you grew up in. You may... and will... turn to evil in the end, but you will still have saved your so-important friends... maybe..._

"No," she hissed under her breath, more to the voice than to Josh as she turned back to him. "This is my home. This is where I belong." 

"Are you so sure?" Josh asked suddenly. "Your whole family here is dead. Zordon will strip you of your powers once you return, if you return. If you go home, you can keep your powers and your friends. They're all you have left. 

Sheena deflated visibly. She knew Josh was right. She'd killed her friends, her family, and all because of her loss of control. She sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "Josh... how can I face the other Rangers? Jason, Adam... oh, sweet Goddess, Kat... how can I tell her Tommy's dead?" 

She was practically screaming as she spoke. She collapsed back into tears, and found Josh there, as he had always been, the shoulder to cry on. She leaned against him, crying with all her heart. "Oh, Josh," she whispered brokenly. "I can't leave... but I can't stay either." 

"You're not needed here, Sheena," Josh whispered into her ear. "You are needed at home, though." 

Sheena nodded. "How can I get home, though? Kahva's... Kahva's dead... I am _certainly_ not going to ask Mondo to build me a device to send me home, either!" 

'I think I have a way," Josh smiled a little smile.

* * *

"This is taking too long!" Billy exclaimed softly. To him, it seemed like they had been searching the rubble for hours on end, trying to find a way through it or around it. Or better yet, some sign of Sheena. But he and Tommy hadn't been able to find anything, and the scanner Billy had been using died minutes earlier, its power pack having been damaged in the fight and subsequent cave-in. 

"You can still sense her though, right?" Tommy asked hopefully. 

"Yes, but..." Billy sighed. "Every time I try to contact her, it's like I'm being shoved back, pushed away from anywhere she might be. I don't have the strength or ability to force my way through. Whatever it's going to take to reach her, I don't have it. All I know is, ever since she woke up, she's been in pain, a lot of pain. And she's extremely upset, but it's not so much physical pain, or physical upset, it's something mental, emotional. But unless I can reach her, or Kahva can," Billy looked at the still apparently resting form of their friend, still under the control of Kahva Kilanye's spirit, "I don't know what that something is. It's what is keeping me away, I'm sure of it, it's keeping me from 'speaking' to her." To admit he couldn't contact his own wife, the love of his life, was nearly heartbreaking for Billy, only his determination to find her kept him together. 

Tommy clapped a hand on Billy's shoulder. "We're going to find her, no matter what. I promise you that, Billy." Tommy looked at the stone and mortar wall they had been searching. "We've been at it for nearly a half-hour, any ideas on a new approach?" 

"That's all? Seems like an eternity," Billy sighed. "We can't get around it, we can't get over it, our only option seems to be to try and go through it, unless there's another way around it, such as access from downstairs. That may be the only way we have of getting to her, if she's not under the rubble..." Billy's voice trailed off, he couldn't bear to think of his wife trapped under the huge pile of stone and mortar. "No, she's not under the rubble, I refuse to believe she's under this stuff. She's on the other side of it, somewhere." 

"Maybe we should morph and blast through." Billy shook his head at Tommy's suggestion. 

"Only as a last resort. We don't know how unstable the roof is now. If we start blasting away at the rubble, we could bring the whole roof down on our heads." Kahva stirred just then, and all thoughts of searching were temporarily banished as they rushed to her side. 

"I still cannot contact her, neither one of us has been able to. We are being blocked by something evil," she softly said. Though it was Kahva Kilanye talking, Billy could've sworn he heard a trace of Kahva Briton's voice slip through. _If she's right, and we are dealing with Master Vile, it looks like he's trying to finally get rid both Silver Rangers at one time. What are we going to do?_

Perhaps one or both Kahvas could sense him, for Kahva Kilanye spoke ever so softly, but firmly to Billy, "We will find her, Vile will not claim Sheena or any of us as his prizes. But you, Kahva and I are all being blocked from reaching Sheena." Kahva sighed, she couldn't hide the fatigue in her voice anymore. "My strength is limited since my body is still here; if there were another, one who wasn't... perhaps they could get through to her." 

Billy's eyes widened at that suggestion. "Another ghost? But who? I mean, who else could be strong enough to get through to Sheena in the mental state she's in right now?" 

Tommy couldn't help but shiver at the thought of another ghost being called. "How could we get it here anyway?" 

Kahva looked him squarely in the eyes, this wouldn't be easy for the Red Ranger to hear. "There is only one who has both the strength and the desire to help, I believe, and you must call him, Tommy." 

"Huh? Me? Why me?" 

"As Sheena is_ my_ most direct descendant, you are his. My son, Tilrak: the first Diamond Ranger. You must call him, Tommy. He may very well be our only hope." 

"I don't know if I can do that, I - I don't have Kahva's ability to channel someone... do I?" 

"Not exactly, no. But you are the only one who can contact Tilrak. We can help you contact him, and with your help, bring him here. You will not be channeling him as Kahva is channeling me, but you will provide his anchor. He is also Sheena's ancestor, I believe he is the only one who can get through to her." Kahva said no more, the choice was Tommy's. He trembled slightly at the thought of calling the ghost. _What if I can't do it?_ He looked at Billy and Kahva, his resolve immediately strengthening. _I have to do it, I have to try. Four people need me to try, Billy, both Kahvas, and Sheena herself._

"What do I have to do?" Kahva Kilanye and Kahva Briton took turns telling Tommy what to expect, with Kahva Kilanye doing most of the explaining. Billy excused himself to check out the floor below, still hoping to find another way to the other side of the cave-in. Several minutes later, blaster fire caught their attention, then the sound of running footsteps. Billy ran back in, morphed, shoving the heavy iron door they had all entered through earlier closed. A chorus of angry mechanical voices could faintly be heard through the door, kicking and scratching noises soon followed. 

"If you're going to call Tilrak, do it now! We're trapped, and I don't know how long that door will hold the Cogs off." He was winded and alarmed, even the wolf design on his helmet seemed anxious. Tommy morphed as a precaution, then sat down beside Kahva on the floor. 

"Let's do it."

* * *

"No, I can't do it," Sheena shook her head suddenly. "Even if Zordon takes my powers from me, it's only right. If I caused their death, then I don't deserve to be a Power Ranger." 

Josh gritted his teeth. This wasn't going to be easy, it seemed. "Sheena, it was an accident. You were out of control; I understand that, I've known you for years. Zordon only thinks about what's best, or what _he_ thinks is best for the team. If you caused the death of two Rangers and your soul-sister, then he won't let you be a Ranger. He'd rather there be no Silver Ranger than a murderous one. He'll not only kick you out of the Rangers, he'll shut you off from everybody. He may even find a way to take the cabin from you." Josh stared hard at her, his eyes showing only coolness. "And how are you going to explain everything to Billy and Tommy's parents? Have you thought about how they are going to react, knowing that you killed their sons? What will David think, you've killed his brother!" 

Sheena shook for a moment. She tried again to reach the others, hoping they were just unconscious, injured, but _alive! _ Once more, she reached only blackness. A tear made its way down her cheek as she remembered her dream from the night before. It had been a warning, one she hadn't heeded. She'd lost control, let her dark side take over, the part of her that only wanted to destroy: and it had cost her the lives of those she loved. 

"Sheena?" Josh laid a hand on her shoulder. "Please, come home with me. I have a way to take us both back to where we belong." 

Something about that was wrong. Something about what he was saying was wrong, but Sheena couldn't put her finger on it. Her head felt like a thousand jackhammers were inside, all pounding at top speed. She could barely begin to think in the first place, much less figure out what was going on. All that was really getting through to her was that Josh was her friend, he'd never lie to her or try to hurt her. 

"I... I don't know," she whispered. "My head hurts so much! Something's wrong with me, I shouldn't be hurting like this..." 

"You probably got hit on the head when the ceiling fell in," Josh stroked her head gently, trying to soothe her pain. Sheena relaxed into the minor massage, and slowly the headache eased just a trifle. "You're going to be all right... as soon as we get you home." 

Sheena nodded, wincing as the pain flared through her head at the movement. "I want to go home, Josh. How can we get there?" 

Josh gently pushed her into a sitting position against the wall and moved out of her sight. While he was gone, Sheena closed her eyes and wept a few quiet tears for those she loved. How could this mission have failed so badly? They were just coming up here... to... what were they up here to do? 

"What does it matter?" she mumbled under her breath. "I'm going to go home... I've been here too long... lost what I loved..." 

A few moments later, Josh was back with her. He had a small device in his hands that beeped and flashed rather nicely._ Wonder how he got that... does it matter?_ She smiled a little. "How is that going to get us home?" 

Josh smiled and pointed it at the doorway to the cell they'd taken refuge in. A push of a button later, and a strange greyish portal was there. "Cool!" she smiled. "And that's going to take us home?" 

He nodded. "Right to where you belong, Sheena. Right where you belong."

* * *

"Isn't there anything we can do to stop this thing?" The Rangers were being forced back step by step by the monster. 

"Jason, can you fly the Phoenix Zord like you did back when we had to beat Decharger?" Adam called out. "If you can, we can form the Zeo MegaZord and blast this thing to pieces!" 

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jason muttered under his breath. "Good idea Adam, I'll be back!" _I'm supposed to be leading, but I can't even think of something as simple as that! I've been out of this too long as a leader, I'll be so glad to hand the reins back to Sheena. I hope they're all right._

He was rolling back to the Power Chamber in moments, and took a few extra seconds to sneak another look at the data they were getting on what was happening. The readings on Sheena's Silver Power were so low... he shivered to think of what must be happening up there. He spared a glance up to the sky, to where he could see the moon, just barely visible in the afternoon sky. 

"Whatever's going on, Sheena, you can deal with it. I know you can. We all love you, girl." Something prompted him to whisper those words of encouragement, he had no idea why. But he did know it made him feel better as he headed back out in the Phoenix Zord. 

"Time to kick some machine butt!" he announced his return to the fight. "Let's do it, guys!"

* * *

Mondo watched the viewscreen, evil anticipation filling his metallic heart. It was amazing. Vile had done it! He couldn't wait to see how the look of pain that now gleamed in Sheena's green eyes would change to betrayal when she found out her 'friend Josh' was bringing her not to that other universe, but straight into the Machine Skybase! 

Then... oh then, how betrayal would turn to servitude as he broke her already weakened will and she once more was his willing slave. She had defeated several dozen of his Cogs; he now had a much better idea of just how destructive she could be when properly used. 

The first thing she'll do is prove to her so-worried friends that she's still alive... but they won't like it very much when they see her again! That will change, of course. I think I'll have her give them the potion herself, to drive home how completely she serves me. By this time tomorrow, I will have my ultimate warrior, my field general, my inventor, and who knows just how many different things Kahva Briton will be able to do, if Klank can work around that protection in her blood? I think I'll have her saved for last, maybe breaking her down will make things easier. The last to go will see her fellow captives go before her... oh, the pain that will cause! Oh yes, I will have them all, they will all be under my command... they will all be MINE. And all thanks to MY Silver Ranger...

* * *

"Tilrak. Tilrak Kilanye," Tommy whispered the name over and over again, reaching out with untrained senses. _Oh, man, this isn't going to work! How could it?_

_You would be surprised, descendant. You would be surprised. _He looked up at the warm voice in his mind. Hovering above him, semi-transparent, was the spirit of a man. He appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties, with a great sadness in his eyes, and what appeared to be a uniform that vaguely resembled Tommy's own as the White Ranger. Awed, Tommy slowly took off his helmet in a show of respect to the warrior, catching Billy doing the same thing out of the corner of his eye. 

Words were failing the Red Ranger. "I... uh... well... ummm... Tilrak Kilanye, I presume?" Tommy stared. The ghost smiled briefly. 

_Indeed I am. You have called me for a reason, I believe?_

"Uh, yeah, we... umm... I did," Tommy could only keep staring, he'd never really believed it would work. But now, his own ancestor was standing... or floating... just above him! 

"Tilrak, my son," Kahva Kilanye spoke, staring up at the spirit. "It is I." 

Tilrak stared in his own turn, in what could only be sheer shock. _M-mother? How can it be? How is it you are... are you alive? What is this body you have? What is happening here?_

"This body is not my own, but I am graciously being allowed to use it temporarily. Hopefully I can explain this to you later, but for now our time is short, and you are our only hope." Kahva Kilanye swiftly explained why they had called him there, and what they needed him for. 

Tilrak's expression turned from friendly warmth to cold hate. _Vile seeks to destroy another of my blood? The one my mother died to send her powers to? This will NOT be! I will not let it happen!_

Tilrak faded away. Billy stared at Kahva. "He hates Vile. He hates Vile worse than anything I've ever seen, I could feel it in his voice." 

Kahva nodded. "He lived and died hating Vile, for it was Vile who took his father and sisters from him, who forced me to send him to Edenoi to grow up, who I died to escape, whom he died fighting. There is nothing he wishes more than to destroy Vile utterly for all time." 

"And we just sent him to help Sheena." Billy looked nervous suddenly. "In the mental state she's in... my God, what have we done?" 

Kahva stared sadly at the pile of rubble, but in her eyes flickered the light of a faint, desperate hope. Billy and Tommy weren't sure which Kahva whispered the words. 

"The only thing we could do." _Tread softly, Tilrak. More than just Sheena's life hangs in the balance..._

* * *

"Are you ready to go, Sheena?" Josh asked, helping her to stand. She glanced at the portal, then back at her friend. She _knew_ there was something wrong here, but what was it? Something just out of sight, just out of awareness, was warning her of something. "Your friends at home miss you, you know. Things haven't been the same since you left." 

"Really?" She smiled a bit; she had missed them all so much. Her friends here... they... they were gone. Her heart spasmed with pain as she thought of Billy, Kahva, Tommy... all gone, all dead, all thanks to her. _Oh Goddess, what have I done? I've broken Your teachings, I've killed my friends, my family..._ Josh tugged at her, drawing her attention back to him. 

"Yes really, it hasn't been the same. We've missed you." Josh guided her towards the portal, it was almost as if he were dragging her... like the Cogs had... 

Sheena stopped in her tracks. _That_ was what was wrong! She remembered, they'd come up here to get Kahva Kilanye's body, and Cogs had attacked them. The hit she'd taken to the head when the roof had caved in must have given her partial amnesia, how could she have forgotten it? 

"Sheena?" Josh looked a bit confused. "What's wrong?" 

"I have to go back up there. Back up to the tower," she told him. "I'll leave here later, I've got to at least get Kahva Kilanye's body back to Earth, so the others can send it to Eltar for a proper burial. I can do that much at least." 

Josh gritted his teeth in outrage. "They already took it back," he told her quickly. "They were able to teleport all the bodies back, now they're looking for you: to take your powers from you." 

Sheena went white._ How did he find that out?_ She hadn't wanted to believe him, not deep down. But... did she really have a choice now? _Josh wouldn't lie to me... _

Stop this outrage! A glowing, furious transparent figure appeared above them both. Sheena stepped automatically in between it and Josh; she'd allow nothing to harm her friend. 

"Who are you?" she asked, ready to morph at a moment's notice. "What are you doing here?" 

_Sheena Devereaux Cranston, Silver Ranger, I am Tilrak Kilanye, your ancestor, and the first Diamond Ranger. _The spirit stared at her in fury and a touch of wonder. _Vile walks these halls, he is with you now, he seeks to destroy you, descendant of my mother and myself!_

"Don't believe him, Sheena, this is some trick of Mondo's," Josh whispered to her. "He did something like this when I first got here, trying to make me think you were dead. If we can get through the portal, we'll be safe, it won't be able to follow us home." 

Tilrak glared at Josh. _You fill her heart and ears with lies! You are not her friend nor even one who will be a friend! You... you..._

The spirit's eyes glowed a bit, and then in unalloyed rage launched an attack at Josh, screaming in wordless fury. Sheena pushed Josh away, and snarled, "Leave him alone, he is my friend! You're nothing but some trick of Mondo's! Leave us alone, stop impersonating someone of my blood!" Tilrak turned to her, still furious. _ If you will not listen to reason, you may listen to force. Forgive me, descendant._

He plunged towards her and a moment later, was within her. Sheena stiffened as once again something tried to take over her will. "NO!" Her throat was raw from the primal scream that erupted from it. Hate and rage and pain filled her, from an outside source this time, not the endless tide of emotions that seemed to be within her at times. 

And all of it directed at one person, one being. Whoever, whatever this was, they existed only to do one thing: destroy that which they hated. 

Master Vile. 

Sheena couldn't take it anymore. "Get _out_ of me!" she snarled, forcing the ghost away with all her might. Tilrak took shape again, and if he had been alive, he would have been breathing heavily with shock. 

_You are strong, Silver Ranger, and I am glad of that strength. I will not, cannot harm one who shares my blood, my mother's power, and my mother's features. I have seen why you believe he who wears this guise of friendship. I cannot help more than this: remember your powers: all of them._

He faded away a moment later. Josh put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You got rid of it, Sheena! You saved me." 

Sheena turned to him, disbelief warring with concern in her eyes and heart. "He... said you weren't you..." 

"Who are you going to believe, Sheena? Your best friend or a trick of Mondo's?" 

At that precise moment, a pain tore into Sheena's head that drove her to her knees. Josh held her until the agony passed, then helped her back up to her feet. "Well, Sheena?" 

She glanced at the portal, shoulders slumped. "I want to go home, Josh."

* * *

Tilrak shimmered back into being in the tower prison. Tommy looked hopefully up at him. "Well?" 

_She is alive, but in pain greater than you can imagine. Vile has woven a spell about her that plays with her mind and memories, and she believes you are all dead, slain by her carelessness that brought the roof of this place down. Her heart bleeds with pain and confusion and shame. I... I fear I did not help her, I was overwhelmed with rage when I saw Vile with her._

Billy, Tommy and Kahva Kilanye all echoed the same phrase. "Vile is with her?" 

_Disguised as one she trusts and cares for. She does not know it is he, and he has drawn nearer to convincing her to cross a dimensional portal with him. She believes it will take her back to where she grew up._

"Vile would never do that," Billy breathed, wanting nothing more than to rush to Sheena's rescue at that moment. "He must have something else in mind." 

"You're right," Kahva Kilanye spoke. "If he has joined forces with Mondo, his plans could be many. To trap Sheena for the Machine King, for himself, or who knows what else? Vile has sought out the Silver Line in every generation, some have barely escaped his evil, some have not." 

"And we all know why Mondo wants her," Tommy sighed. His shoulder twinged in remembered pain; Sheena had done serious damage to the Rangers while under Mondo's control a year and more earlier. 

_I did what I could, my friends,_ Tilrak glanced at them all. _But my rage overwhelmed my good sense. If I had been able to control myself... then perhaps Sheena would be free now._

"There's no need to beat yourself over the head, Tilrak," Billy advised. "Sheena's going to be all right; we have to believe that." _I just wish I could convince myself of that. I need to get to her. She needs me. Sheena, I love you! Oh please, hear me, Sheena, we're all alive, we're all with you! Always!_

Tommy looked down; if only he could help more. He'd only come because Kahva Kilanye was his ancestor as well; he was glad he had come for that alone, to 'meet' her once again. If only the rest of it hadn't happened..._ Sheena, cousin, friend, we're here for you. We need you, you need us, and we're always there for each other. That's what being family's all about... remember..._

Within her own body, a spectator to the events transpiring, Kahva Briton reached out again for her sister, her friend, the only family she had in this world. She could feel something pushing her away, but it wasn't as strong as it had been before. _It is Vile,_ Kahva Kilanye whispered to her. And more of his energy was going towards subverting Sheena's mind and memories to his will... he didn't have it to spare to block them._ Keep fighting, Sheena, you'll make it! You've got the strength to do it! Don't let him win! We love you!_

Kahva Kilanye could feel Sheena's strength fading in and out. Kahva Briton and Billy were linked to Sheena, but in some ways, at some levels, Kahva Kilanye was Sheena. They shared blood, power, looks, memories. Sheena was herself, her own person, as was Kahva Kilanye, but their bond was far, far stronger and deeper than anyone suspected. If she had been in her own body, tears would have glowed in her eyes for the pain she knew her descendant was feeling now. As it was, she held those tears in, concealing even their existence from Kahva Briton. _ Remember what you are, Sheena, remember who you are! The power lies within you to break free of his spells, as it was to free you from Mondo's control! You are the Silver Ranger, you are my descendant, my heir, and I love you as none other in the cosmos can! Be strong!_

* * *

The Zeo MegaZord surged towards the monster, sword in hand. With one devastating blow, the creature collapsed, defeated at last. Jason took a deep breath, he had thought the fight would end. "We need to help the others now," he told the Rangers quickly of what he'd learned. "If we can." 

Jason opened a communications link to the Power Chamber. "Is there any change in anything?" he asked. 

NO, JASON. Zordon reported. THE BARRIER IS STILL UP, BUT WE ARE WORKING AS HARD AS WE CAN. 

Jason closed his eyes as they returned to the Zord Holding Bay. _Whatever's going on up there, you can handle it, Sheena. I have faith in you, my friend. You always said I was the best leader of the Rangers. That's not true. You are. You'll bring them all back safely. I know you will._

Adam stared at the moon. His best friend, his best friend's wife, Tommy and Kahva, all were in danger up there. There had to be something they could do, some way to get to them, bring them all back safe. _ Do your best, Sheena, you always have and will. We believe in you. We all do, you have to know that. I know you know that. Come back soon: all of you._

Rocky, for once, wasn't in the mood for a joke as he took in what was going on. _Wish I could be there to help them. I don't know what I could do, but I'd feel better than just standing here, doing nothing. They need our help up there, and there's nothing we can do! I just hope Sheena can get through whatever's happening to her up there. I hope they all can._

Tanya closed her eyes, hoping against all hope that their friends would make it back. _I want to be there with them, but we can't get through that shield. If Billy were here, he could do it... of course, that's part of the problem, he's one of the ones up there! You guys had better make it back to us, we need you all. _

Kat fought back tears as she heard how Tommy, Kahva, Billy and Sheena were trapped in the palace. They couldn't be sure just yet of what was going on up there, but according to what they were able to figure out, the odds were fairly good Mondo was working with someone... but who and why were a mystery. _ Come back to me, Tommy. We haven't gone through all this just to lose you to some dumb Cog or whatever's up there. I love you. I'll love you forever. Sheena and Billy said it best. Together forever, forever together, always and eternity. That's how long I'll love you. Don't you dare leave me._

As one, the Power Rangers' thoughts turned to their friends on the moon. Their hearts filled with love and need. 

And somewhere, someone heard them.

* * *

As she and Josh headed for the portal, Sheena stopped once again. Something... something was teasing at her mind. Something else she couldn't put her finger on. Something she couldn't place. Something she _had_ to deal with before leaving. _Can it be? I have to be sure..._

"Josh," she said softly. "Just a moment." 

"What is it now?" His voice held an edge of impatience to it. "The longer we stay, the more likely it is we'll be found. Do you _want _to lose your powers, lose everything?" 

"I... I feel something... I... maybe one of them is alive. Maybe Kahva... Billy... Tommy... one of them... could be alive." She reached out again, and this time the darkness was fading, falling back, one of them, maybe more was alive... 

Then the darkness slammed down again. Sheena reeled in surprise, nearly falling over she was so shocked. "Wh... what was that?" she murmured. _I know there was something, is something... _

"It doesn't _matter_," Josh told her. "Let's go!" He had her by the arm again. Sheena shook it off and turned to the portal. 

"All right, little brother," she sighed. It wasn't worth the fighting, she was too tired to resist. It seemed the darkness took her strength every time she tried to get past it. "Let's go home. Come on." 

Josh smiled. "I'm coming, Sheena." Sheena stepped towards the portal, relief at giving in filling her. She was going back with her little brother'... going home. 

She stopped where she stood. "What did you just say?" She turned back towards Josh, raising an eyebrow in query. 

"I said I'm coming, Sheena." Josh looked at her curiously. Sheena nodded. 

"Yeah. That's what I thought you said," Sheena backflipped away from the portal, landing near the back of the cell and didn't take her eyes off him for a second. "I don't know who you are, _what_ you are, but I know who you aren't! You're not Josh!" 

"You're confused, Sheena," he stepped towards her. "Of course I am. Who else would I be?" 

"I haven't any idea," she told him, beginning to concentrate on something. "But the real Josh never calls me by my name when I call him little brother'. He calls me big sister'. You're an imitation: a good one, I'll admit that much. But not perfect." 

Fire burned all around Sheena for a moment, a gleaming bright silvery fire that burned away the spell he had used to keep her from realizing the inconsistencies and lies he'd kept feeding her. "My ancestor Tilrak gave me the clues I needed to realize the truth. He hates Vile, and he attacked you. He must not have been fooled by your illusion. He told me to remember my powers, all of them, and one of them is this: the Silver Flame, to burn away all evil that I don't want associated with me!" 

"Josh" hissed and a black glow surrounded him suddenly. A moment later, Master Vile stood before her, a sword in one hand. "You'll never escape here alive, Silver Ranger!" 

Sheena stood frozen suddenly, her heartbeat accelerating to nearly twice its normal rate. She could feel the others now, could feel both Kahvas and Billy and Tommy all alive and all worried over her. But in front of her stood her familial enemy, the one who'd forced her into another dimension, who'd torn her away from her birth-family, who'd tried to deprive her of her birthright, who'd forced the death of her ancestor, who'd killed many of her family. She could only stare in shocked helplessness. 

Vile charged at her, and though Sheena couldn't move consciously, she'd been trained too thoroughly in _ki-see_ not to defend herself. A quick lateral thrust of her hand pushed the blade away from where it would've pierced her heart, though it did cut deeply into her shoulder. Sheena spat out an oath, then kicked Vile away from her, morphing in the same moment. 

"If you want a fight, you're going to get it!" Sheena told him. "There's fifteen thousand years of my ancestors who have a score to settle with you, Vile!" 

"Some other time!" Vile snarled, and was gone a moment later. Sheena shook her head, clearing the last cobwebs from her thoughts. In the sudden silence, she could hear the faint sound of Cogs from higher up. 

"The guys need me," she muttered to herself as she headed towards them at a full run. "Time to do my job."

* * *

"They're breaking down the door!" Billy yelled, he and Tommy pulling on their helmets at the same time. Tilrak floated near his mother's body, unable to fight without a body, but ever alert, in case he could help somehow, some way. Kahva Briton was once again in control of her own body, with Kahva Kilanye just close enough in her mind to help in the coming battle. "Kahva, get behind us, don't let any of them touch Kahva Kilanye's body!" 

"If they want her, they'll have to kill me first," she gritted out, the fire in her eyes showing she meant every word. "We are ready," both Kahvas said, both of their voices sounding together clearly for the first time. The effect was slightly chilling, Billy shoved down the shiver that threatened take over his spine. Though he couldn't see Tommy's face under his helmet, the tiny vibration in his shoulders told him it had affected him the same way. A sudden double explosion surprised them, one came from the doorway, which was now a molten mass, the other from the cave-in. "We're surrounded!" Kahva Briton yelled, her own voice the only one sounding this time. Cogs were pouring in from both entrances now. "I don't see Sheena in there!" 

_That means they've taken her away, she's been somewhere else all this time... If Vile has harmed her, I'll rip him apart with my bare hands! _Billy launched himself at the nearest three Cogs, taking them down in one fell swoop. "What have you done with her!" With the battle begun, they almost didn't hear one Cog answer Billy's question. 

"She is the prisoner of the great King Mondo and Master Vile," it stated in a metallic monotone. "You are their prisoners also. Surrender, resistance is -" 

"SHUT UP!" Kahva screamed, viciously decapitating the unfortunate messenger with her quarterstaff. The battle waged on, the three young people quickly surrounded by a growing Cog scrap pile as they fought on, driven by the need to find Sheena. But the Cogs kept coming. 

Tommy risked a glance at his friends; Billy was struggling with a full dozen Cogs, Kahva fending off nearly that many herself, holding true to her promise: if they wanted Kilanye's body, they would have to kill her. He could tell by the fighting style that Kilanye must be supplying the moves and direction, but they would soon be overwhelmed. He couldn't watch any of them a second longer, as he found himself nearly buried by over a dozen Cogs. _ We can't last much longer... We tried, Sheena, please forgive us... _ So busy was he fighting the swarm of Cogs, he didn't feel the slight warm nudge in his mind... just before his world went black.

* * *

"You had her, how could you let her escape!" Mondo lumbered after the dark wizard with a speed Vile would never have thought possible. He whirled and pointed his sword at Mondo's throat, drawing the mechanical overlord to a screeching halt at its tip, still covered with some of the Silver Ranger's blood. 

"Don't you dare to insult me, you metal misfit! How was I to know everything about her friends from that other dimension? I saw her dreams, I twisted them, I gleaned what information I could from them, and in one month I came closer to destroying her than you have in thirteen! You claimed all along to be the expert on her, 'I could show you this, I know that' - phagh!" he spat. "I, at least, have drawn her blood personally, if it were not for that blasted Silver Flame stunning me for a few seconds, I would have drawn more! Can you say the same? Have you dared to try and fight her? I think not!" 

Vile threw his sword off to the side in disgust, not noticing it nearly taking Klank's arm off. As the two overlords continued to blame each other for their failings, Klank carefully swiped off Sheena's blood with a rag, then pocketed it discreetly. _If we ever do get her again, I want to make sure she can't possibly break the spell of the potion again. This sample of her blood should give me what I need._ Klank watched his master and the overbearing wizard arguing, neither one willing to concede that they had both underestimated the Silver Ranger, and the love her friends had for her. _Maybe I should also try something other than the potion, something she wouldn't expect... ah, that's it! I must tell King Mondo of this idea - when Master Vile isn't around. King Mondo wants the Silver Ranger for his own: and I will not fail him by letting Vile find out about what I have in mind._

Mondo cast a look at the viewscreen, cheered by the sight of the Red and Sapphire Rangers being overwhelmed by his mass of Cogs._ Kahva Briton is holding up better than I would have thought, how is that possible? It matters not, she will fall, she is about to right now, then those two Rangers will crumble. In minutes, they will be MINE._ "Vile," he said aloud. "Perhaps we still have a chance at our prize. Sheena will do anything to keep her friends from being hurt, I've come close to breaking her before," Mondo stated with satisfaction, remembering Sheena's earlier words in Kahva Kilanye's cell. "My Cogs will capture her friends, and we _will_ have our prize."_ All I have to do is have Klank strap Kahva Briton down to his examining table again and Sheena will break once more! Maybe I'll even have him do the same to Tommy and Billy, but by threatening Kahva first, Sheena will do what she did a month ago: surrender. And this time, there will be no one to stop her from becoming MY Silver Ranger again: this time forever._ With greedy eyes, Mondo and Vile watched the battle in the tower, each tasting their own sweet victory they knew was at hand.

* * *

"They just keep coming!" Tommy heard Billy cry out. _I'm not unconscious then? But why is everything black?_ It took the Red Ranger a few moments to clear the cobwebs. The reason everything was black was because he had over a dozen Cogs on top of him. _ I can't get them off me, I don't have the leverage..._ The warm nudge to his mind that he'd barely noticed seconds before came again, stronger this time. 

"This is no time to lie down on the job, dear cousin," a welcome voice sounded in his ears. In less than five seconds, Sheena pulled the Cogs off of Tommy and hauled him to his feet. "We'll all catch a nap later, I promise." 

"Sheena? But how -" 

"Answers later, Tommy. We've got to help Billy and Kahva!" Tommy smiled at his cousin under his helmet, then unleashed a ferocious double-kick at a Cog trying to sneak up on her. 

"What are we waiting for, then?" The cousins fought their way to Billy next; pulling, punching and kicking Cogs every which way. Sheena reached him first, yanking a Cog off of Billy's back that was trying to choke him. Billy whirled as he felt the Cog leaving his back, fists balled and ready to attack his new threat. Sheena casually caught his hand in mid-air, sparing a moment to chuckle slightly. 

"Is that anyway to greet your wife?" 

"Sheena? Sheena! You're safe, I - " 

"Wahoo!" an excited shout came from behind Billy. "You stupid Cogs have had it now, the Silver Ranger's back in town!" Kahva was spinning and kicking and whacking Cogs with all her remaining strength and Kahva Kilanye's skill. Her voice revealed her fatigue, but you couldn't mistake its defiant tone: she wasn't going down without a fierce fight, and the sight of her soul-sister had given her a tremendous emotional boost. 

Sheena grinned at Billy. "Can't let her and Tommy have all the fun." 

"Lead the way, my love." Sheena and Billy fought their way over to Kahva, Tommy had reached her a few seconds before. The four young people slowly reduced the number of Cogs surrounding them, gaining some breathing room after several long, exhausting minutes. They finally got a chance to stop for a few precious seconds when the incoming Cogs found they were hindered in getting to their prey because they had to climb over the forms of the Cogs who had fought before them. "Kahva, I think now would be a good time to shift us out of here," Billy said without even looking behind him at the girl. 

"Thought you'd never ask," she replied after a pause that lasted a few seconds too long. Billy turned and looked at her, she had sunk to her knees by Kahva Kilanye's body, winded and pale. "Everybody ready?" They all nodded, gathering close. _She's not got the strength, she's fought the Cogs too long, it took us too long to get all together!_ Billy thought frantically. Even before Kahva could try to shift them out, Billy tapped his communicator, but they still couldn't get through Mondo's shield. "Let's go," Kahva managed to get out, clasping Sheena's hand. 

Billy watched as a shadowy grey circle started to form around them, a sight familiar to the Rangers now. _ Please let her be able to hold it..._ He watched as it grew large enough to surround them all - then vanished. "I can't keep it long enough," Kahva gasped. "I need a couple of minutes to regroup." The Sapphire Ranger immediately pulled out his blaster and fired off three precisely aimed shots at the ceiling outside of the cell. Stone and mortar cascaded down on the Cogs attempting to scale over their fallen comrades, burying them: and also effectively sealing off the young people from any other exit. 

"Think that will hold them off long enough?" Sheena asked, still holding her sister's shaky hand. 

"It had better." A slight rumbling sound from overhead drew their attention. "But I may have started a chain reaction, I don't know how long the ceiling is going to last now. But it was the only way to keep them off of us." Billy knelt by Kahva now also. "Take a few seconds and try again, you can do it." 

"No we can't," Kahva Kilanye's voice came this time. "We fought for too long, we've used too much of her strength and my own, there were so many Cogs... if only I were stronger, could give her a boost... I'm sorry Sheena, you wouldn't be here, none of you would, if it hadn't been for me." 

"Hey, there are some things you don't have control over, and one of them is me." Sheena flashed a small smile. "Tilrak could tell you that, I'm not easy to try to control." 

Kahva smiled, then a wild hope dawned on her face. "Tilrak... yes, that's it! Til, my son, you are much stronger than me, if you could help Kahva, give her the strength she needs, she could get us out of here. Can you do it?" 

Tilrak floated silently above them, considering his mother's words._ If she can receive me, yes, I think I can._

"Trust me my son, if anyone can, she can." Before the others quite realized what was happening, Kahva Kilanye's spirit left Kahva's body and reentered her own lifeless one, Tilrak entering Kahva even as his mother left. Kahva Briton stood abruptly, eyes wide with a wild, fiery strength and power. 

"We're leaving," she stated flatly, pulling Billy and Sheena up with her, and the portal formed, opened and took them away in the space of a heartbeat. Scant seconds later, the first of the remaining Cogs broke their way through the wall of stone and mortar that had kept them from their intended prisoners. It had enough time to realize the young people had escaped with the first Silver Ranger's body before the ceiling caved in, filling the cell.

* * *

"Ay-yi-yi, Zordon, they're back!" Alpha cried out happily as the familiar grey portal formed in the center of the Power Chamber. The Rangers backed out of the way as their friends took shape within it. 

AND THEY HAVE HER BODY, Zordon smiled as he recognized the still form. It had been so long... so very long... 

As the portal faded, a transparent form rose from within Kahva Briton and hovered near them. She crashed to her knees as this happened, too weak to stand. "Last stop, Power Chamber, everybody off and out, the Kahva Express is done for the day," she joked faintly. Sheena immediately demorphed and knelt by her soul-sister. "My brain cells are singed..." she mumbled softly as Alpha shuffled over to check the weary girl. 

"Who or what is that?" came Rocky's strangled voice, staring at the waiting ghost. It looked an extremely little bit like Tommy, more an attitude than an actual physical resemblance, and it seemed so sad... _And why did it come out of Kahva? What happened up there? _ He didn't need to look at the others to know they were just as surprised and puzzled as he was. 

"Rocky," Tommy said as he demorphed, "and everyone else, meet my first ancestor, the first Diamond Ranger, Tilrak Kilanye. He was a lot of help to us up there." 

_No, I wasn't, Tommy. _ Tilrak shook his head. _ I let my hate for Vile overcome all else. _

"And if you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to free myself," Sheena looked over from where she was helping Alpha tend to Kahva. "It was the very fact you hated, that you _could_ hate, that clued me in to what was going on. Vile said you were one of Mondo's creations, but they can't hate like that. Only something alive... or once alive... can do that." 

As Alpha reassured Sheena her sister would be all right after some rest, the Silver Ranger headed over to where her ancestor still hovered. "I also felt something else Tilrak, when you were within me. I felt your love: for me, for your mother, for all of our family line. Love isn't even remotely possible for something of Mondo's." Shadows crossed her eyes. "Believe me. I know." 

Billy pulled Sheena into an embrace and tilted her head so she had to look at him. "Sheena, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You know that." 

Sheena sighed deeply. "Yeah, I know." She felt an incredible rush of relief fill her as she said the words. She realized now she did not have anything to be ashamed of. Mondo didn't have her, he would never have her again. She kissed Billy, then turned back to the others. "Once we've all had a chance to get cleaned up and changed, and when Kahva's up to it, we're going to Eltar." Sheena grinned as she finally got a good look at Billy and Tommy's hair. "You're both grey-haired now, you know." 

Billy smiled and brushed some of the dirt and dust out of his hair as Tommy chuckled and started to do the same to his. "So are you. Kahva's the only one with part of her head covered, but her ponytail is completely grey." Billy looked at the cap he'd started to wear before they left, still lying on the console. "Remind me to wear a hat next time." 

"Will do." Sheena smiled, then her eyes flicked to Kahva Kilanye's body, preserved in Billy's stasis field. "It's time to put my ancestor to rest... after fifteen thousand years." _ You're going home, Kahva Kilanye. You're going home._

* * *

"This isn't happening!" Mondo and Vile stared incredulously at the viewscreen as Sheena and her friends shifted back to the Power Chamber. "You lost them all, Vile!" 

Vile hissed in return, "_I_ lost them? It was_ your_ Cogs who didn't get in there fast enough, who didn't stop Sheena from getting to them so they could leave!" 

"This is all your fault, Vile! If you'd just kept Sheena down in that prison a little while longer, even if she _had _realized your lies, we would at least have them prisoner! But no, you had to run just because she threatened you with 'the vengeance of fifteen thousand year's worth of her ancestors! HAH! Some all-powerful evil wizard you are! Scared of_ ghosts!_" 

"I didn't see you charging in there to attack her! The Rangers tear through your Cogs as if they were rusty toasters, and all you do is sit up here and moan over it!" 

"Hah! All you did was wound Sheena... in the _shoulder_, that won't even take her out of the action for long!" 

The arguments went on all throughout the night.

* * *

"Kahva?" Tommy called softly through her room door. 

"Come on in." Tommy stepped quietly into the young woman's room, getting his first good look at it since she had moved in. Photos from her old world were all over the place, in frames on her desk and dresser, hanging on the walls. They were accompanied by several photos from her new world, she had a picture of everyone, he was sure. Oddly enough, there were only three pictures that she herself was in, one of her and Sheena from the other dimension, one of her and Daniel taken at the wedding, and one of her and Daniel with Sheena and Billy after the wedding. Kahva sat up on her bed and watched Tommy; she had taken a few moments to rest after freshening up and changing clothes. 

"Lots of pictures," he said, picking up the one of her with Daniel. "I don't see one of the whole wedding party, I know you were in that one too." 

"Haven't found a frame I like for it yet. I don't look that good in pictures anyway, but I am going to find one for the wedding party if it kills me. We took one here of everybody too, I've got to find a frame for it also. I want those two pictures with all of us up in frames in here somewhere. And you didn't come in to talk about my pictures, Tommy. What's up, are we almost ready to go?" 

"Almost." Tommy suddenly wasn't sure if he should even be worried about the young woman, she seemed to be all right. "Are you going to be okay? I mean, it was pretty rough up there." 

"I'll be fine, we're teleporting to Eltar, not shifting, after all," she assured him with a smile. The Red Ranger wasn't sure how to ask his next question, how to get the answer he wanted. _Is she really okay?_ Before he could try to ask it however, Kahva spoke up again. "Tommy? Can I ask a really big favor from you?" 

"Anything." 

Kahva sighed, staring at the photo of her and Sheena from their old world. "Teach me to fight. Please?" 

"Fight? You mean you want to work even more with the quarterstaff?" 

"That's not exactly what I had in mind. I definitely want to keep up my training with the staff, but I want to learn hand-to-hand combat too. Maybe judo, since I know a couple of self-defense judo moves already. But what happened today proves I have to learn something, and quickly." 

Tommy shook his head in mild protest, kneeling at her bedside. "Kahva, you did fine up there, and besides, we can protect you, you don't have to learn something like judo -" 

"No I didn't, and yes I do have to, Tommy. The only reason I held up in the two Cog fights was because Kahva took over my body while I was unconscious in the first one, and she pretty much did the same thing in the second one; she guided and directed every single move. She might as well have had full control. Mondo's not going to take it easy on me just because I'm not a Ranger, I'm more of a target because of what he thinks or hopes he can do with me. You guys can't be with me all the time, I might not be able to get out of your way all the time, and I can't count on a friendly warrior spirit to be floating around, ready to possess me and help me fight. I've got to be able to defend myself better, and I've got to build up my stamina. I can't count on a spirit to give me an energy boost in an emergency, either." 

Tommy started to protest, he didn't like the idea of a non-Ranger thinking they _had_ to fight, that they had no choice, but he realized instantly that unfortunately Kahva was right, she didn't have a choice. Mondo wasn't about to give her one. For as long as the metal overlord existed, he would be after her, to use as a hostage, if nothing else. "Tommy, the only reason we got out of there was because of Tilrak. My shifting ability is more mental than physical, but so much of my physical strength was gone after the fighting, and trying to maintain Kahva's spirit, I nearly lost her so many times, her energy was so terribly low... but the mental part, that was the hardest. When I got Sheena, Billy, Jason, Daniel and myself out of the Skybase a month ago, and did all that shifting then, I was physically exhausted and drained, but I was still pretty strong mentally. To be honest, it was the only way I could do all the shifting, I had just barely enough mental strength to focus and do it. If I had been physically stronger back then, it wouldn't have drained me as much, I wouldn't have fainted as much. But trying to maintain Kahva today, that drained me physically and mentally, I didn't have the physical strength to compensate for the mental drain. Tilrak gave me the energy boost I needed, he's the whole reason we got out." Kahva took Tommy's hands in hers, her eyes pleading with him for help. "Tommy, I need to be a better fighter, and I need to build my overall strength. We were lucky today, we can't count on luck to be with us all the time. I know now, more than ever, that I certainly can't count on it. I know Sheena, she'll think I'm pushing myself too hard, help me convince her, please Tommy?" 

_How can I when I'm afraid you're pushing yourself too? _Tommy thought. But the look in her eyes showed him the truth of her words. No matter how much they all hated it, Kahva had to become a better fighter. "Okay," he sighed. "But don't push yourself too hard, getting hurt won't help you at all. As for judo, I think Jason would be the better one to train you there, that's more his strength than mine. We'll talk to him about it after we all get back from Eltar. Come on, the others should be ready by now." Tommy spotted Kahva's overnight bag by the door and picked it up for her, the girl following right behind him. "And you're stronger than you think, Kahva," he told her as they made their way to the main chamber. "That cut on your hand should remind you of that," he said, pointing to his bandanna still wrapped around her left hand. "It may have been the combined attack from you and Sheena that took it out, but you fought off that thing all by yourself for almost two minutes, did you realize that? It took Sheena and Billy a while to get my foot free. Don't sell yourself so short." Kahva slowed a tiny bit, absorbing that tidbit of information. _Nearly two minutes? Surely I didn't fight it that long. _ As they entered the main chamber, Kahva spotted Jason immediately; he took her bag from Tommy and guided her into the room, placing his free arm about her shoulders. _ I still have to learn how to fight better, I have to get stronger. I just hope if I start training with Jason that Emily will understand. I think she thinks I'm trying to come between her and Jason or something, she's been acting so strange around me lately._ Kahva banished the thoughts from her mind before Sheena could pick up on them, all this could wait until later. _ I wonder what Eltar is going to be like?_

* * *

"What is the name of this town again?" Kahva asked. Jason still had an arm about her shoulders, but like her, he was drinking in the sights of the Eltaran town. Kahva had to slip away from Jason in order to keep pace with Sheena, who was leading them all through the town. 

"Ladiska!" her sister merrily called back over her shoulder. Of them all, Sheena was the only one who had ever visited Eltar, and she was almost like a little girl as she showed her friends around while the Council of Eltar made preparations for the long-delayed funeral of Kahva Kilanye. She literally bounced down the street leading to the Power Rangers Museum. 

"Oh man, she loves this place," Tommy observed to Kat as they watched the Silver Ranger run ahead of them. Sheena had changed just a little since the events on the moon. Before leaving, she'd almost seemed as if she'd been hiding something from them all. Now they knew what it was, she'd told the rest of the Rangers just how close Mondo had come to causing her to serve him a month previously. It had come as a surprise to them all, but no one blamed her. They all knew how much she cared about Kahva, and as Tommy had put it, "Even if it had happened, we would have found some way to get you and her and Daniel away from him. But it didn't, and it won't, so don't worry over it." Sheena finally had forgiven herself, it appeared. 

"What makes you think that?" the Pink Ranger asked dryly. As they drew closer to the Museum, people began to crowd around them a bit, asking for autographs. Kat turned to Tommy, "You know, I think I finally understand why we're not supposed to let anyone on Earth know who we are! At least one reason why, anyway," she giggled. 

Tommy glanced over at Adam, who was beet-red at a few comments apparently directed towards him by a rather attractive Eltaran lady and her young daughter. "I think so too. Hey, where's Billy?" 

"There he is," Rocky gestured a little ways ahead of them, to where four very attractive young women had the Sapphire Ranger surrounded and were oohing and ahhing over him. "Uh-oh... I think the real question Tommy, is, where's _Sheena?"_

Just as Rocky asked that, they saw Sheena, eyes flashing, heading over to her trapped husband. Just loudly enough so the women would hear her, "Excuse me ladies, but my _husband _and I have to be moving along now." 

The women turned around, and at least one of them had an almost challenging expression on her face, until she saw just who had spoken. The other Rangers got the definite feeling she was about to say something rude to Sheena, who simply pinned her with a gleaming green gaze. "May I help you, ma'am?" the Silver Ranger said calmly. 

"Ummm... no, thank you," the woman replied, hurrying away. Billy stared at his wife. 

"How did you do that?" was all he asked. Sheena giggled. 

"It's a female thing," she told him as she wrapped a firm arm around him. Kahva chuckled and Billy blushed as they both clearly heard Sheena's next thought. _Any females who want to get a hand on you, Billy, are gonna have to go through ME: and the only time I'll fight dirty is if I'm fighting for you._

* * *

"...And in here is where the history of the Rangers, from the beginning to the present is displayed, we pride ourselves in keeping everything up to date and extremely accurate." The museum guide smiled with pride and nervousness all at the same time. "This is truly an honor, we have never had all of the Rangers of any generation here at one time before, if you find anything that isn't correct, please, let us know. The curator, Alacor Polanyi, will be here as soon as the Council Of Eltar brings Kahva Kilanye to the Great Rotunda here in the museum, to lie in state. Please enjoy yourselves," she said, then bowed and left the Rangers and Kahva to explore on their own. In the museum, they received the same looks they had out on the streets, but in here, the citizens kept a respectful distance, allowing the Rangers to roam freely about in peace. 

"Sheena?" Kahva quietly asked. 

"Yes?" 

"Can I go the Council Building and find my room? People are staring, and it's driving me crazy," she whispered. 

"Yeah, I know, but it's not everyday that they see Power Rangers -" 

"No, they're staring at _me;_ I don't know why, and it's a little scary. I'd expect it if I were a Ranger, but I'm a nobody, why are they staring at me so strangely?" Sheena stopped short at that, she had the advantage of having visited Eltar before, and she had warned the others they would be recognized. She hadn't thought of what Kahva's reception, if any, would be. Now, as she looked at the people milling about the museum, some quietly approaching the other Rangers for a moment, then leaving them in peace, she noticed for the first time what Kahva meant. Some of the people were staring at Kahva, and whispering amongst themselves, a few pointing at her as subtly as they could. It was hard to read their faces, but it seemed they recognized her as well, or thought they did. 

"I don't know, but come on, you'll like the museum. Here, come with me, there's something you should see. Maybe there won't be as many people at this particular exhibit." Sheena waved to Billy as she ushered Kahva into a less trafficked area of the museum. After a few minutes, they reached their destination. "Here we are. This is the section on Zordon, they also talk about Elysia here, and the Mystic Springs." Kahva's previous unease seemed to disappear as they read the plaques, and listened to the narrator's voice on the hidden loudspeakers at each part of the exhibit. They told of how Zordon and Ninjor had started their training at such a young age, of their first meeting with Zordon's wife to be, Elysia, and of her family's own particular history. Her sacrifice to save her husband was viewed as a pivotal act in not only Eltar's history, but in the universe's history as well. Zordon's survival enabled him to form the first Power Rangers, and they had thwarted evil time and again ever since. There was a hologram of Elysia with Zordon near the end of the exhibit, and Sheena couldn't help but gasp. She knew from what Billy and Tommy had told her that Elysia had worn the same rings she did, that the first-born female in each generation of the Silver Line wore, and that they were a symbol of the connection between the two families. What surprised her were the similarities in Kahva Briton's and Elysia's appearances. Both olive-complexioned, both dark-eyed and lovely. Elysia's hair was shown shoulder-length and dark auburn, while Kahva's was nearly waist-length and so dark brown as to be nearly black, but with dark auburn highlights. Her eyes were a darker brown than Elysia's as well, a dark chocolate color that would seem black if the young woman were angry, which was a rare occurrence. _I've seen her mad, but hardly ever angry. That's another way she and I are alike, we don't like to lose our self-control. But that's something we both have to learn: we can't control everything. I know I have to learn. Kahva usually stays so quiet, doesn't talk about her feelings..._ Sheena broke that thought off there, one day she would get Kahva to talk, really talk: she just had to wait for the right moment to draw her soul-sister out. 

"I think the reason they might be staring is either because of how much we look alike, or most likely, because of how much you look like Elysia. You're not a duplicate of her like I am of Kahva Kilanye, but you do look like Elysia, more than I realized. You look like you could be her daughter, or granddaughter." Sheena studied Kahva's face. "I believe that anyone who has seen this part of the exhibit and looked at this hologram will know you to be of Elysia's line." 

Kahva sighed, looking at the image of her ancestor who had sacrificed so much for so many, who had sent her powers into the future so they could be used once again to defend against evil. "I guess so. What's this?" she wondered out loud, spotting a plaque mounted on a granite boulder. The boulder was placed before a beautiful mural of a peaceful, sparkling springs, the waters surrounded by an exquisite meadow. "The Mystic Springs," she read, bending over the plaque. "This must be what it looked like before Rita destroyed it. It says that this boulder is from there." 

As they stepped closer, the narration began, just as it did at every exhibit in the museum. A gentle voice told them of how Rina and Melantha had discovered the Springs, how they came to be named and aligned. _They're honest about that_, Kahva noted, having read the history of their discovery back at the Power Chamber a couple of weeks earlier._ They don't gloss over what Melantha did and tried to do. _Elysia's first meeting with Zordon and Ninjor was talked about again, and the accidental discovery by Elysia of how to transport the magical waters without their losing their power. After another minute or so, a hologram of two young adults appeared on the mural, making them seem to sitting at the water's edge. The narrator's voice grew even more respectful, if that were possible. "Zordon and Elysia were blessed with the conception of a child by the banks of the Mystic Springs, and were given this knowledge by the Springs itself, as well as the Prophecy Of The Child." 

"What? 'Prophecy Of The Child'? I've never heard about this," Sheena found herself whispering to Kahva. Before her best friend could reply, a different voice took over the narration, presenting the Prophecy. 

_"In thanks for the service your family has given, the sacrifices made, and the bond that cannot be broken, we tell you that you have been blessed with a child this day, in this place of peace. Elysia, your child, and the children of your line that will follow, will be forever joined with us, they are a part of us and we a part of them, lifeblood and lifeblood, just as it was with Rina, so shall it be with you and your line. Your family and kin will always have the protection we have freely given, but you and your line are our blood, and we are yours, joined together forever. Remember this: there will be a trial of sorrow and pain, death and non-life. When lifeblood joins lifeblood, the circle will be complete, and a new dawn will be seen. The Child will have returned to right the wrong, bringing what will be dead back to life. This we promise you, Elysia and Zordon. Your sacrifice and loss will not be in vain, rather it will save those who are to come. You will know this time, by the return of the first and last of the past yet to come." _

Sheena shivered at the haunting Prophecy, Master Madas' words floating back to her: "_You shall return, Sheena, when the first and the last of the past come home here to Eltar, you shall return." I thought that maybe he meant us bringing back Kahva Kilanye's body, when I thought about his words this morning, but now... now I'm not so sure. What does this Prophecy mean?_

"I see you have found the exhibit of your ancestor, my dear," came the narrator's voice, but from over their shoulders this time. Sheena whirled about, as startled as Kahva, to find a kind-faced man, most likely in his late forties or early fifties by Earth standards, looking straight at Kahva. "Elysia's features betray your lineage, my dear. I am Alacor of Eltar, though I am more commonly known as Alacor Polanyi, curator of this museum. I am of Melantha's line, from her brother's family. Zordon said your name was Kahva Briton, if I recall correctly?" He was matter-of-fact and straight to the point, but in a gentle manner, not a threatening one. 

Kahva hesitantly took his outstretched hand and shook it. "Y-yes, I am. Umm, you're of Melantha's family line?" She relaxed quickly as she stared deeply into his eyes. Sheena was amazed at the sight of them, their faces spoke volumes in the span of seconds. There was trust, belief, family recognition and love flowing between them; on some instinctive level, they knew they were family, though distant family, without anyone having to tell them so. 

"Yes, just as you are undoubtedly of Elysia's," he smiled in return. "It is good to finally see you face to face, cousin." 

"Yeah, I guess we are sort of distant cousins," Kahva laughed lightly. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude, I haven't introduced Sheena here." 

"There is no need to apologize, I was the one who interrupted the exhibit, I startled you. It is an honor to meet you, my Lady Ranger," Alacor bowed to Sheena. 

"Please, just call me Sheena. And it's my pleasure to meet the _real _curator this time. I think the man who posed as the curator last time was just a fan who couldn't think of any other way to approach me." Alacor nodded and smiled. 

"Apparently so, Sheena. Please, let me restart the narration, have it pick up where I interrupted it." Alacor went to the side of the exhibit and pressed a hidden button. As he rejoined them, the narration picked up the last line of the Prophecy, then continued with the first narrator's voice. It told of Elysia's sacrifice, and the formation of the first Power Rangers years later. 

"For thousands of years, it has been thought that all of Elysia's family died in Master Vile's purge, but recently, an heir apparent has come forward. Whether or not this heir proves to be true, or possibly the Child of the Prophecy, remains to be seen." Alacor paled and immediately went to shut off the narrative, then proceeded to shut down the exhibit itself. Sheena couldn't tell who was more shaken, the curator, or Kahva. 

"I am so sorry, that narration was to have been updated last week. We have had - interference - by well-meaning, but in my opinion, misguided and close-minded..." Alacor took a breath and smiled tightly. "There are some on the Council of Eltar who have been slow to accept that you are the last of Elysia's line, my dear, even though the scientific evidence provided by Zordon has been quite clear. I'm afraid that his hesitance in one detail has caused them to ignore what has been proven to be true, and rumor has started to spread." 

"What are you talking about Alacor?" Sheena calmly demanded, clenching and unclenching her hand behind her back, hidden by her hair. "Kahva is the last of Elysia's line, her energy signature proves it. What hesitance? Zordon told us Kahva is of Elysia's family." 

"Yes, of that there is no doubt, her energy signature and her blood prove her heritage." Alacor paused, casting an uncomfortable look at Kahva, who judging by her appearance, wasn't feeling much better than he. "Elysia told her brother Seth in a message that she was going to send her powers into the future, so they could be used again to defend against evil. She also told him she would try to send the essence of her and Zordon's unborn child with the powers; for she had finally understood the Prophecy. She felt their child was the one the Prophecy spoke of. But when Seth tried to talk to Zordon after Elysia's death, and tell him of what Elysia had done, Zordon wouldn't talk to him, he couldn't bring himself to talk of Elysia at all, it hurt him too much. I understand that it was only your discovery of Elysia's diary rods, Sheena," Alacor looked at her, "that sparked him to look at the message she left him so long ago." 

"But one of the rods was damaged, and some of the information was lost. We know from it that Elysia sent her powers into the future, but nothing about an essence," Sheena replied._ "Elysia found her last descendant, your Kahva Briton, the one the essence and her gifts had gone to," _her ancestor had told Tommy and Billy. Sheena looked at Kahva, she was plainly in shock. 

"You're saying... that I'm not me, I'm somebody else. That's what you think, isn't it?" Kahva softly asked her new-found cousin. 

"Kahva, what has been believed for quite some time now, is that Elysia was successful in sending the essence of her unborn child into the future along with her powers. But you are who you are. Kahva," he took both her hands in his, "Elysia and Zordon's child had been in her womb barely two months. It had not developed a consciousness, but a few traits had formed, tiny things, like maybe the way you tilt your head, a few very small things like that. That is the way with Eltaran children. It carried their blood to you. But the one thing she tried to make sure the essence _did_ carry, if nothing else, was your name. Any convictions you have are your own, someone else's have not been forced on you before you were even born, trust me. The essence merely strengthens, maybe even augments your personal beliefs. It is a part of you, it doesn't control you or anything like that. Had you been born without the essence, you would still be who you are, the daughter of your birth parents. The essence makes you Zordon and Elysia's child, but you are still the child of your birth parents as well. Elysia did not believe that one life should be erased, a life that was meant to be, simply so another life could come forward. She told Seth in her message that the essence would find someone of her line that should have had a child, but for whatever reason, had not been able to. Then the essence and her powers would go to them, hopefully carrying a name she cherished with them, and ask her descendant if they would receive the powers and essence." 

"Ask them?" Kahva shook her head, things were getting a bit too complicated for her comfort. 

"Perhaps 'ask' isn't the right way to describe it. The essence would make itself known, the descendant would feel its presence, and know of this. Seth and his family made sure that all of their relations, and those of us in Melantha's line as well, knew of what Elysia had done, so when the time came, if the essence and power came to one of them, they would know it, and know why it had come to them. We have kept the knowledge of Elysia's act alive for fifteen millennia. My family has always known through the years that the essence and power had to go to someone of Elysia's line, the Prophecy is clear on that. But after her nephew's family, Seth's son's family, was attacked by Vile, we feared the line had been destroyed. But we had always hoped... Kahva, I believed in my heart as soon as Zordon sent your image to us that you were the last of Elysia's line, I didn't need the tests and scans to tell me you were my cousin. Telvok has acted as an impartial judge of the evidence, and has decreed that you are the last of Elysia's line. Until the Prophecy has been fulfilled, however, there is no way we can prove you are the Child of the Prophecy, but he and I have been fighting to have your rightful mention entered here in the museum, that which we can prove, at least. But certain heads have taken Zordon's previous belief that all of Elysia's line had perished thousands of years ago as being written in stone, and not even his assertion of who you are has swayed them. They are the ones who scripted that last of the narration, but Telvok and I had ordered it changed, I don't understand why it -" 

Any further explanation by Alacor was interrupted by the hurried arrival of the guide who had greeted the Rangers earlier. She curtsied to Sheena, then seemed to see Kahva for the first time and gasped, sinking to one knee in a deep bow. "The Child, she _is _here -" Kahva's eyes widened in alarm, but after a sharp look from Alacor, the guide immediately stood up. "I'm terribly sorry to intrude; the Council of Eltar has set up Kahva Kilanye's body in the Great Rotunda, but they are arguing over what ceremony to perform, they are not adhering to what you said had been agreed on at the Council Building -" 

"If you will excuse me Sheena, Kahva." Alacor took off after the guide, plainly irritated by the Council's shenanigans. Sheena started to follow him, but stopped when Kahva didn't follow. "Kahva? You okay?" 

"I need to be alone for a minute, you'd better go see what they're up to. Kahva didn't want a lot of arrogant and silly pomp and circumstance." Sheena nodded, if anyone knew besides herself how the first Silver Ranger felt about silly frivolity, it was Kahva. Sheena's ancestor had left the knowledge of what she felt comfortable with in a funeral service with Kahva Briton as a precaution. _Looks like my ancestor was right, bureaucrats can be so stupid sometimes..._

* * *

Even if Sheena hadn't known immediately where the Great Rotunda was, the arguing voices would've easily guided her there. Besides Telvok, there were twelve other Council heads, and they each had at least one aide with them, fussing about and catering to their wishes. Alacor was trying to settle them down, but even with four of the heads apparently on their side, Alacor and Telvok couldn't get the others to shut up and listen. The other Rangers were there already, Tommy looked like he wanted to punch one particularly obnoxious Council head, a pug-nosed fellow who seemed to be the ringleader of the dissent, though not all of those who were in disagreement with Telvok and Alacor were necessarily completely on his side either. 

"I must insist on having the orchestra play as her coffin is borne by the Council Honour Guard to her final resting place here in the center of town," he was saying as Sheena approached. 

"She wants to be buried with her comrades," Telvok tiredly stated, he'd apparently been having this particular part of the argument several times over. Sheena impatiently shifted from one foot to the other for a few minutes, then angrily, but in a controlled manner, broke in. 

"Excuse me," she called, waiting until she was sure she had everyone's attention. "I thought the arrangements were clear, my ancestor requested to be buried with her teammates, and for the ceremony to be a simple one." Sheena ended her statement with a gesture to her ancestor's body, lying in state in a simple, but beautiful glass coffin. 

"Yes, my dear, I'm sure she did," the pug-nosed man replied. Several in the crowd gasped at the hint of disdain in his voice. This was the _Silver Ranger_ he was talking to! "But you see, with someone of your ancestor's great prominence, certain protocols and traditions must be followed..." He continued to prattle on, naming various things that should be done this way and that, each glamorous item conspicuously having him at its focal point. No one noticed Kahva Briton silently entering the Great Rotunda at first, until Telvok's aide spotted her staring at Kahva Kilanye's body, transfixed. As the conceited Council head continued to come up with more grandiose ideas, she soundlessly walked over to the coffin, her silence hushing the crowd. Even the Council head stopped speaking, his mouth hanging open in shock as she lifted the coffin lid and gently touched Kahva Kilanye's hand. Kahva Briton stiffened, closed her eyes, and when she opened them, the spirit of Kahva Kilanye was in her, but hovering just outside of Kahva's body this time, to prove to everyone present exactly who was speaking. 

"If I weren't already dead, your foolish nonsense would have killed me long ago," the spirit scolded the Council heads who had been bickering back and forth. She glared in particular at the pug-nosed Council head, a disturbing sight to the man, for though Kahva Kilanye's spirit form moved about and made eye contact while hovering just outside of her host's body, Kahva Briton simply stared straight ahead, emotionless and unblinking. "I made my wishes perfectly clear to my descendants," she indicated Sheena and Tommy, "yet after listening to my chosen heir you have deliberately ignored them. The frivolous arrangements you propose, Councilor," Kahva nailed him with a withering stare, "are suitable for a king, queen, or self-important overlord, of which we thankfully have none here on Eltar. If you wish to honor me, then honor my wishes, otherwise the Power Rangers will take my body this moment to where my comrades rest and they will bury me within the hour." The dissenting Council heads all stammered apologies except for the pug-nosed one, who seemed to be struck speechless. "Thank you. All I wish is to rest in peace with my friends, my body has been kept away from home for far too long." 

The first Silver Ranger turned back to her body, but didn't miss the man's whispered comment to a councilor standing next to him. "As if this display of magic is supposed to make us accept this pretender," he hissed, trying to regain face with at least one other person on the Council. "She does not wear the rings!" The warrior spirit turned back to him and actually floated to him, while Kahva Briton remained motionless. "One last thing, Councilor," Kahva Kilanye said looking straight at the obnoxious man. "You are from Teltrich, are you not?" 

"Well, yes, of course." Faced with the legendary first Power Ranger one on one, he seemed rather small and less sure of himself. 

"I thought that the symbol of one from Teltrich was their miss-mated eyes, usually blue and green, or green and pale gold?" she inquired. 

"My Lady Ranger, that was a genetic defect that has disappeared over the last thousand years," he replied. 

"I see," she nodded. "So does the lack of miss-mated eyes make you any less a native of Teltrich?" 

"Most certainly not, they were merely a symbol!" he declared indignantly. 

"Then how dare you judge another by their lack of owning a mere symbol of their heritage, when like you, they are undeniably who they are!" Kahva Kilanye was clearly angered by the way he had regarded Kahva Briton. "To insult her is to insult her family, who has served our world greatly, and sacrificed so much. You insult Zordon; if not for him and his brother, there would never have been _any_ Power Rangers, and we would most likely be living under Master Vile's tyrannical evil rule this very day. To insult her is to insult my chosen heir, the leader of the Power Rangers, who is her soul-sister. And lastly, to insult Kahva Briton is to insult a young woman who I am proud to call my friend. I suggest you do not do it again." With that, Kahva Kilanye turned back to Kahva Briton, smiled and placed a hand on her face. "Thank you, Kahva Briton, daughter of Elysia, and Zordon, my mentor and friend. I am proud to share my name with you, and honored. I shall rest now, we both need to save our strength." A moment later the spirit was back in her lifeless body, and Kahva Briton swayed by the coffin. Jason rushed forward to steady her; after a few seconds she had her bearings again. 

"You're welcome, and the honor is mine, Kahva Kilanye," she softly told the body of the great warrior. "I need some air," she told Jason, her face slightly pale and hands trembling. They had barely made it to the other Rangers before the Council heads were all clamoring about whose fault it had been for dishonoring Kahva Kilanye's wishes, but it didn't take long before the arguing turned to Kahva Briton's status. Most of the heads seemed to finally agree that she was of Elysia's line, at least, but while some immediately proclaimed her as The Child, the pug-nosed man and a few others proclaimed her a witch and charlatan. That did _not_ sit well with Sheena at all, being a witch herself, and she was about impart a few choice words of her own at the inconsiderate few when Kahva bolted from the Great Rotunda. Sheena caught up with her before she reached the exit of the Museum. "Why are they doing this, Sheena?" she asked, her voice on the edge of tears. 

"I don't know, I'll straighten things out, Telvok and Alacor will help -" 

"Listen to them! They're putting all these fates and destinies on me, trying to stamp a mold on me... they don't know me, crap, I don't even know myself right now! I'm not the pretender, sorceress, savior, God or Goddess they're trying to make me out to be. I'm Kahva, why can't I be just Kahva? Why isn't that enough for everybody, why do I have to be something else!" Before Sheena could say a word, her soul-sister bolted out of the museum, badly shaken and confused. 

"Kahva, wait!" Sheena was about to follow her when several young girls seem to come out of literally nowhere, all begging for autographs. Sheena cast a despairing glance after Kahva's retreating back. She wanted to go after her, but the girls were so insistent, and she remembered how she would have acted at their age if she'd met a real Power Ranger... 

Her shoulder was twinging seriously by the time she finished signing autographs; Alpha had wrapped it well and put something on it to make it heal faster, but Vile had cut deeply into her with that sword of his. She still shook a bit at the memory; if Master Madas hadn't trained her like he had, she would have been spitted on that blade, and she knew it. 

"Why Sheena, imagine meeting you here!" She turned to see Zimmer standing a little away from her as the autograph hunters scattered, chattering happily among themselves. She smiled a little as she went over to him. 

"Hello," she nodded her greeting. "I rather expected to see you around somewhere, you said you were a fan of my ancestor." 

"And now you've brought her home to be put to rest at last," Zimmer smiled at her. "Thank you." 

Sheena shook her head. "My cousin, husband, and soul-sister were the ones who really did everything, I was... occupied." _Nearly losing my mind and following the eternal enemy of my family into the Goddess only knows where! _

Zimmer shook his head. "The whole mission would have never happened if you hadn't wanted to go in the first place, my dear Sheena. It is thanks to you that she has come back to Eltar." He reached out to pat her on the shoulder, and inadvertently touched her wound. Sheena spat out a few swear words as pain lanced through her again. "Sheena!" Zimmer looked at her, concern in his pale blue eyes. "What's wrong?" 

"My shoulder," she winced, and told him in a few short, bitten off words what had happened with her and Vile in the Lunar Palace's dungeons. Zimmer's face twisted with disgust and rage as he listened to her. 

"Truly Sheena, if I ever meet Vile, I will do all within my power to make him suffer for this injury to you," he promised her. "I can, and will, however, make certain that you don't have to suffer from it." 

"What do you mean?" she asked; the pain was easing off now, and she relaxed a little. Zimmer said nothing, only reached over to carefully unwrap the bandage. She stared as he laid his hand on the wound and whispered a long series of words she couldn't understand or hear properly. When he removed his hand, her shoulder was as sound and whole as it had ever been. She flexed her shoulder, rolling it back and forth, without a hint of pain. 

"Thank you!" She stared at him in amazement and gratitude. "Thank you so much, Zimmer!" She threw a quick hug around his neck and a kiss on his cheek. He seemed as surprised as she was when she stepped away. "Come on, I want you to meet the other Rangers!" 

Zimmer shook his head. "I have other commitments at the moment, though I will be in attendance at the funeral. I will not miss the opportunity to see Kahva Kilanye at rest at last, after so many thousands of years. I am glad to have been of service, Sheena, and perhaps after the funeral, we will speak again." 

Sheena nodded as she heard Billy calling her from within the museum. She turned to wave at him, then turned back. "Zimmer, I - where'd he go?" The space he'd occupied only moments before was as empty as Master Vile's soul. "That's strange." She looked around, trying to see if he were around anywhere. 

"Sheena?" Billy asked as he joined her. "Is something wrong? Where's Kahva?" 

"I think she went back to the Council Building, she was really upset. I'm going to go there and see if she's okay, I'm worried about her." Sheena quickly filled Billy in on what Kahva had told her. 

"Come on, she might not want to talk, I've noticed that about her, but we'll at least be there if she changes her mind," Billy suggested. "Hey, your shoulder!" 

Sheena smiled a touch. "You're not going to believe this. Zimmer showed up and healed it! Then he just sort of... disappeared." Billy raised an eyebrow; he still had a touch of uneasiness about the strange man. 

"That was nice of him." Billy glanced around, and saw no more sign of Zimmer than Sheena had. "Let's go find Kahva, she could probably at least use someone to talk with, if not to." 

Sheena nodded, and they headed for the Council Building. Neither noticed the chilling pale eyes watching from hiding, or the self-satisfied smile that spread across the greedy face the eyes were set into. "Well now, who would ever have thought that I would owe thanks to Master Vile? You've made my goal that much closer, I really must thank you... on the fifth of never, that is. I'll be seeing you again soon, Sheena my dear. You are mine now, I need only to claim you."

* * *

Tanya stretched, yawned and opened her eyes. "Tanya." It was Tommy's voice urging her to wakefulness. "Your turn to stand guard." 

The Yellow Ranger got to her feet. All the Rangers, along with the Council's Honour Guard, were taking turns keeping watch in the Great Rotunda over Kahva Kilanye's body. The watch had been instituted not only because of the honor due to the great warrior, but just in case Mondo or Vile tried anything at the last minute. "I'm ready," she said. Tommy's shift had just ended, and now it was her turn. 

As she headed towards where the coffin was being kept, she heard a soft voice ahead of her. She hurried her steps to see who it was, no one should be there at that time of night, especially not now, of all times! As she was about to enter the Rotunda, a barrier stopped her cold. "What's this?" she murmured. She couldn't see it, but it was as solid as steel. _I've got to get in there!_

"You were my love and my life for so long, Kahva," the voice spoke. "And now you are gone. You were the one I wanted for so many long years, but now I cannot have you." 

Whoever was speaking sighed. Tanya couldn't see who it was, they were only a dark figure hovering by the coffin. She couldn't move beyond the barrier, but she could plainly hear what was being said. "Though I cannot have you, there is another now. She will be mine very soon, very soon indeed." 

The figure turned; all Tanya could see were eyes that burned with a strange, almost unholy light. He, she, or it, bowed mockingly to her, then poofed into nothingness. At that same moment, the barrier vanished as if it had never been. She ran into the room and quickly checked on the body and the other guard; everything was just as it should be. 

"Did you see who that was?" she asked. 

"Who are you talking about?" the guard raised an eyebrow. Tanya did a double-take, had she been the only one who saw the person? 

"Nothing," she said, taking up her guard position, ready to morph at a moment's notice, should it be needed. _Maybe I was just seeing things. It is late, and I am still kind of tired. Even so, they didn't do anything. It's nothing to worry about. The funeral's tomorrow, we just have to guard her until then. Then it'll all be over with._

* * *

"I can't believe I actually wasted my time working with that metal misfit!" Vile's ship sped through space, he had not taken time yet to sit down, instead he had paced from one end of his spacecraft to the other, his Tenga crew doing its utmost best to stay well out of his reach. "If not for his bumbling, I would've destroyed _both_ Silver Rangers, Tommy, Billy, and the last of Elysia's line! I could have caused Zordon so much pain..." Vile had reached the bridge of the vessel yet again, but instead of continuing his pacing, he stopped in front of the main viewscreen. With a single bellow from the evil wizard, a Tenga rushed to pull up a visual image of Eltar, so Master Vile could see what was happening on the planet he'd tried to take for his own so long ago. 

If he hadn't been so angry still at King Mondo, Vile might have actually shivered at the sight of Eltar's planetary defenses, not to mention the massive gathering of galactic warriors for the side of light and good. He watched as first Sheena, then Kahva Kilanye herself dressed down some of the Council heads. He had to laugh, he'd dealt with pompous bureaucrats himself, he rather enjoyed the sight. Then he remembered just who was doing the dressing down, and he roared, smashing the screen with his fist. 

"One day, Sheena Cranston, one day..." Vile closed his eyes and invoked a spell that would let him see into the future, though only twenty-four hours ahead. _Would that Melantha and I could have aligned the Mystic Springs, I could have spawned children who could see into the future easily, with no limitations.._. "NO!" he screamed in rage as the spell showed him a familiar face, then the funeral of Kahva Kilanye, and the events immediately after. "The outrages keep piling up! How dare they be happy!" 

Master Vile raged about the bridge, breaking so much equipment it was a wonder his ship didn't shut down, or spin helplessly out of control. Tengas scrambled to keep the ship flying, and to keep themselves alive. They knew all too well what would happen to them once back home in the M-51 Galaxy. "I _will_ have my revenge, Sheena Cranston, on your and your friends! Perhaps I'll simply appear and take your husband straight from your bed one night, or go to your precious sister or cousins..." Vile finally settled into a seat on the bridge, much to the relief of the Tenga crew, and contented himself with dark fantasies of all the different ways he could slowly and extremely painfully kill the Power Rangers and their friend Kahva. His heads smiled as he came up with a different excruciating demise for each one of them, and toyed with the order of their deaths in his mind. 

The Tengas sighed with relief when they finally got back home to Vile's palace, he was in a much better mood by that time: he only blasted _half_ of the crew into singed feathers upon their return.

* * *

The sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon when Sheena woke up. For a brief moment she felt a little fuzzy-headed, something that seldom happened in the mornings, then as she remembered what was going to happen today, she leapt out of bed. Though funerals were generally considered somber occasions, to her this one was a cause for joy. Her first ancestor would be properly laid to rest, where she belonged, after a hundred and fifty centuries. 

She at once began her morning _ki-see_ exercises, loosening her taut muscles. Her shoulder felt fine, a pure marvel of muscle and control. She hadn't had any idea that Zimmer could do anything like that, and she was grateful to him for it. Billy turned over, woke up, and saw her graceful movements. 

"Mmmm... that's a beautiful sight to wake up to," he told her. She chuckled and continued her workout, ending it with their usual passionate morning kiss. "Morning, gorgeous." 

"Morning, yourself," she grinned. "Today's going to be very unusual," she reminded him. "It's not every day a fifteen thousand year old warrior is laid to rest with her teammates: who are our ancestors." 

Billy nodded. "Come on, we've got to be ready in just a few hours, and in spite of how good you look like that, we need to be ready when everyone else is." 

Sheena shot him a sly glance that spoke volumes, then planted yet another kiss on him. Something was stirring her up for romance, she didn't know what. But before things could get out of hand, she managed to pull her mind back to business. "You're right, let's get going. The funeral's scheduled to begin at noon." Before dressing, she checked a small console set into the wall for any messages that might have been left for them. There were three; one was letting them know that Tommy's brother, David Trueheart, had been able to be teleported to Eltar by Zordon and Alpha, he had arrived first thing that morning. The second was that the transmission back to the Power Chamber was working flawlessly; Zordon and Alpha would be able to witness the entire ceremony without any interference. The third message sent a shiver down her spine. Master Vile's ship had been spotted on the fringes of Eltar's space, but it had not stopped. Sensors showed it had continued on to the M-51 Galaxy. Good, she thought. _ I don't want anything to spoil this day. My ancestor, you will be at rest very soon._

The next few hours flew by, as the Power Rangers and everyone else in Ladiska made preparations for the most somber and the most joyous occasion celebrated on Eltar: the long-delayed funeral of Kahva Kilanye.

* * *

"Today at last, we lay her to rest in the same tomb her companions, the first Power Rangers ever created, sleep in. Through the bravery of her descendants, Thomas Oliver and Sheena Cranston, and that of William Cranston, through the skills of Kahva Briton, last direct descendant of Elysia Carlon's family line, she has been brought home at last. Now, we welcome her at last to her place of eternal peace," Alacor spoke quietly. As he said the last sentence, everyone turned to see the current Rangers proceeding in, headed by the Silver Ranger. Each one of them was morphed, but helmetless, as they carried in the coffin. Sheena caught Kahva Briton's gentle smile and returned it, spotting Tommy's brother, David Trueheart sitting protectively behind her._ Glad he could come too, he deserves to be here as much as the rest of us._ Her soul-sister was seated next to Telvok; she could feel the joy racing through Sheena's heart, and shared it: Kahva Kilanye was _home._

Everyone there had known that Sheena and Kahva Kilanye were mirror images of each other, but no one had really _noticed_ it until now. The same proud look of the warrior was on both faces, with the only difference between them being that Kahva Kilanye was dead. 

Soft music was being played; music that a recalled memory of her ancestor's told Sheena was a ballad composed by Dalien Kilanye, in honor of his beloved wife on their wedding day. In those days, that had been an Eltaran custom, to write of the love of one's life, on the greatest day of one's life. Tears of pride and joy flowed down her cheeks as she heard it, and she could feel, in some strange way, how very appropriate this felt to her ancestor. As they came to the tomb, Alacor spoke again. 

"Today we put you to rest, Kahva Kilanye. You served Eltar well, at great cost to yourself and your family. We have no words grand enough to thank you, but hope that this ceremony and this place of eternal sleep will suffice." 

Almost as one, everyone there stood up and saluted the coffin as the Rangers opened the door to the crypt and entered. There was a strange sense of solemnity in the air, mixed with an odd joy. Alacor continued. "We place to rest next to your beloved Silias Spartus, the first Sapphire Ranger." 

Billy set his part of the coffin down as his ancestor was named. "We place you to rest next to Tilrak Kilanye, your firstborn son, the first Diamond Ranger." As his ancestor's name was spoken, Tommy released his hold gently on the coffin. "We place you to rest next to Caleen Radsha, the first Gold Ranger." Jason next put the coffin down. "We place you to rest next to Linon Aranon, the first Topaz Ranger." Now Tanya released the coffin. "We place you to rest next to Shada Spartus, the first Tourmaline Ranger." It was Kat's turn next. "We place you to rest next to Pliona Kadid, the first Emerald Ranger." Adam set his down. "We place you to rest next to Dilras Kadid, the first Ruby Ranger." Rocky was the last to put the coffin down. "With your companions and family, may you find rest at last, after fifteen thousand years of waiting. And now, Sheena Cranston, Silver Ranger, chosen of your ancestor, would you seal the tomb, and preserve your ancestor and her companions for all time?" 

Sheena waited until the other Rangers had preceded her out of the tomb, then stood in front of the door to it. "Sleep well, Kahva Kilanye, and rest in peace at last. You, of all people I know or have heard of, deserve this. I will do all within my power to bring honor to your name and to the Silver Powers you have entrusted to me. I love you." With that, she shut the door, locked it, and then quietly removed her gloves, letting Billy hold them as she prepared to seal it. Two young boys poured hot wax over part of the lock, then stepped back as Sheena slammed her clenched fists into the wax. Her two rings glowed briefly as she did so, and the wax hardened into a permanent seal at once. She quickly brushed the wax off her hands, wincing at how hot it was. She turned back to Billy, slipping her gloves back on. 

"That was not something I'd like to experience again," she murmured. She glanced at Billy, intending to say something else, when the expression on his face caused her to turn around. Her jaw quite literally dropped open as she saw eight shimmering forms emerging from the tomb. The other Rangers had almost the precise same expression on their faces as she and Billy did. Sheena had to look around; the pompous Councilor looked honestly as if someone had hit him in the head with a large board. _Serves him right_, she couldn't help but think. 

The ghosts of the first Power Rangers each floated to their descendants. Sheena found herself looking into a face as like her own as her reflection._ Thank you, Sheena, _Kahva Kilanye told her. _ Now that I am returned to my home and laid with my companions, my strength has returned to me, to say this final good-bye. You have done well, and will continue to do so. You are my true descendant and heir. I am very proud of you._

* * *

Silias was before Billy. _It has been a long time, Billy,_ the first Sapphire Ranger smiled a trifle. _I knew I had chosen well in you, recent events have only proven me correct. Wisdom and knowledge will always be the greatest weapons against evil, as are strength and courage. You have these qualities, and more. You have done great honor to my powers, to our family line, and to the legacy of the Power Rangers. I thank you._

* * *

Caleen was in front of Jason, the spirit had motioned for the Treys to join them. Once they had, she spoke. _Jason Lee Scott, I am Caleen Radsha, your ancestor,_ she told him, a smile touching her ancient features._ I too, placed my life on the line more than once in the defense of my comrades, as you have done. I am proud to claim both you and Lord Trey of Triforia as my descendants._

"Wh-what?" Jason and the Treys looked at each other; this was a surprise even to them! 

_You and he are both of my blood,_ she explained._ Some two thousand years after my death, one of my family line moved to Earth, while another moved to Triforia. How else do you think you are both able to wield the Golden Powers?_

The former and current Gold Rangers could only stare in shocked speechlessness at their mutual ancestor, then finally Trey of Wisdom managed to say, "We welcome you as long lost kin, Jason of Earth. It is good to know that the courage, strength, and honor of the Golden line began with such a brave woman: and continues into you this day." 

"And in you," Jason managed to return. "Thank you."

* * *

Pliona came to Adam. _So, little frog, you now bear the Emerald Crystal, _ the Emerald Ranger's spirit laughed gently at the expression on the Green Ranger's face. _You have great wisdom, and it shows in all that you do and say. _ He glanced over to where Tanya and Linon were staring face to face. _She loves you very much, Adam, as you love her. Don't forget to let her know that._

"I... I won't," Adam stammered. "Wow... I've always honored my ancestors, but I never thought I'd actually _meet_ one of them!" 

_It is a surprise for me as well, but Kahva insisted, and even after fifteen thousand years, I haven't gotten out of the habit of jumping when she gives a command_, Pliona chuckled. _None of us have, actually._

* * *

"Tilrak, it's... good to see you again!" Tommy looked at his ancestor, who had faded away from the Power Chamber shortly after their arrival back there the day before. "I wasn't sure what had happened to you." 

_I thought to take up my rest again, and did so for a short time, until Mother called us all forth to meet you all. She said she has something else to do, but won't say just yet what it is. She always did know how to keep a secret._

"I wonder what it is?" Tommy glanced over to where Sheena and Kahva were speaking. "Maybe it has something to do with Kahva Briton? We still don't know that much about her, you know." His brother David joined them at that moment, he himself in awe of their ancestor. Tilrak smiled and touched his shoulder in greeting, filling Tommy's brother with the warmth of family love, then turned to answer Tommy's question. 

_You know more than you think, and there is much that will be revealed soon. But that, too, is not for me to say. Tilrak smiled at his descendant. Thank you, Thomas Oliver, for bringing my Mother home. She has been away for far too long._

* * *

"Wow! You're Linon!" Tanya gazed in sheer awe at the ghost before her. Her ancestor nodded. 

_At last we meet, Tanya Sloan. Your friendship is very important to many people, as your love is the very center of Adam's existence. This is something you must never forget; love is all that stands between us and despair. _

"What do you mean?" she wondered. Linon smiled and touched her shoulder gently. She felt a tingle of love and respect flowing into her from where the contact occurred. 

_You will learn in due time. I am so very proud of you, Tanya. You left what was known and familiar to you, to go into a strange situation, directly into fighting a war that meant nothing to you at the time. That is the true courage of the Topaz Ranger, and of my family line. You have done me proud._

* * *

"Shada?" Kat said softly, looking at the ghost before her. "It's an honor and privilege to meet you." 

_As it is for me to meet you, Katherine. Of all who have borne the Tourmaline Crystal, in its various guises throughout the eons, you are the one I am the most proud of. You rose above the specter of your introduction to the realm of the Power Rangers to truly achieve your destiny, as one of them, and I have watched over you with pride from the spirit lands._

"Thank you," was all Kat could say as the ghost caressed her forehead gently. "I never really thought about being descended from you before, not until we got here, anyway." 

_That is understandable. You are a true warrior of the Light, and that is what matters, nothing else. I am honored to call you descendant and the Pink Zeo Ranger._

Rocky was almost in shock at seeing Dilras before him. He'd never believed in ghosts, not really, and seeing Kahva Kilanye in the Power Chamber back when they'd been trying to help Sheena while she was under Mondo's control had nearly blown his mind. But this was his very own ancestor, the first Ruby Ranger, floating in front of him as large as life, er, death... whatever! 

_It truly is hard to know what to say when faced with the ghost of one's first ancestor, isn't it?_ Dilras chuckled a little, and Rocky nodded. 

"It's good to meet you, though," he told his ancestor. "I've been sort of wondering what you were like ever since we found out about you and the others." 

_I am like anyone, Rocky. I was born, I lived, and I died. Like me, you now carry the Ruby Crystal into battle. It is your duty and destiny to fight evil, and to cheer all around you with your laughter and jokes. A good laugh is as important to a battle as the right battle plan, and though you are as much a warrior as any of your companions, at times a joke can be just what is needed to win the war. Remember this, my descendant._

"I will," he nodded. He glanced around at the others, to find they had all apparently finished their conversations with their ancestors. The eight ghosts returned to just outside the tomb, then all turned to Sheena, who stood with Billy's arms wrapped about her. 

_Sheena Devereaux Cranston, you have returned to us our leader, our friend, and our strength. There is nothing we can do or say to repay you for this, and we can only hope you know how grateful we all are to you._ Linon told her. All the other spirits nodded. 

This, then, is the best we can do. I asked the others to join me because even now there are some things I cannot do alone. This is one of them. Kahva Kilanye joined hands with the other spirits and they formed a circle. A great light shone from the center, and from that light there stepped two figures, not dressed in the ancient garb of the deceased Rangers, but in modern Earth-style clothing. The Rangers and Eltarans all looked confused as to who they were, but Sheena ran straight for them. Kahva Briton had never looked happier as she saw this, either. 

"Who are they?" Tommy wondered. Kahva smiled, her heart filled with Sheena's happiness, and her own for her soul-sister. 

"Her parents. Her adopted parents, anyway." 

"I thought they were dead!" 

"They are." 

_And as for you, Kahva Briton, you have earned this as well. May you be blessed with the love you so richly deserve. _ The light flared, and once again two people stepped out, dressed similarly to the first pair. Kahva's eyes filled with tears, and she raced to them as fast as Sheena had for her adopted parents. 

"Mom, Dad," she whispered. "You came."

* * *

"Momma, Daddy," Sheena stared at them both, drinking in the sight. "Oh, I've missed you more than I can say!" 

"Sheena," Mr. Devereaux looked at her with open love in his transparent eyes. He was a tall, handsome man in his early forties, who looked on his adopted daughter with sheer pride. "Sheena, so this is where you've been all this time." 

"Daddy, I'm sorry, I wish I could have told you!" Tears of love and sorrow mixed in her green eyes. "But I didn't even know I was going to be brought here, if I'd had the time, I would've -" 

"It's all right," Mrs. Devereaux reassured her. "We know, and I've been with you ever since you came to this world." 

"Momma?" she looked at her mother's ghost in disbelief. 

"When you were being pulled into the vortex that brought you here, you felt arms of love and warmth around you, did you not?" Sheena nodded; it had been those arms that had kept her from fearing too much during the horrific transition. "That was myself, as well as Kahva Kilanye, protecting you from fear and fright." 

"You know Kahva?" 

"Yes, we met in the afterlife," Mrs. Devereaux smiled lightly. "She is much like you, Sheena, and as proud as she is of you for becoming the Silver Ranger: your father and I are even more proud of you: for fulfilling your destiny, following your dream, and never forgetting the pride and honor we tried to teach you when you were growing up." 

'How could I, Momma? To do that would have been to forget you, and I'd never do that!' 

Her father smiled. "We know. We love you, Sheena. Now, where is this young man you've married? I believe I'd like to meet him!" 

Sheena turned to beckon Billy over to them. He joined them, a little afraid now. He'd met ghosts thousands of years dead without batting an eye, but to meet those so 'fresh' was a bit disconcerting. "Young man, you have made my daughter the happiest she has been in her entire life. I wish we had known you were 'real' while we were alive, it would have been good to meet you then," Mr. Devereaux told him. 

His wife nodded. "But now we have met you, and even though I thought for years you were just some character on a TV show, I can honestly say now, my daughter could not have made a better choice if she'd had the entirety of creation to choose from. Welcome to the family, Billy." 

"Thank you sir, ma'am," was all Billy managed to say. The two ghosts reached out jointly and touched first Sheena, then Billy's foreheads in blessings. Sheena's voice choked as she said, "I love you Momma, Daddy. I love you more than I can ever say. Thank you for everything." 

"We know, Sheena," her mother told her. "And we're glad you're so happy now. You never belonged in the world you grew up in, and now you're home. Release that last shred of guilt from your heart, and truly belong to this place that is your home." 

As her mother said that, Sheena felt the last little touch of shadow in her heart vanish, the last remnant of the guilt that had plagued her since coming to this world. It had been lifted a little when she'd visited their graves, but now with their blessing and love, she was free to truly name this universe, of all in the cosmos, as her true home. She'd barely noticed out of the corner of her eye Kahva's joyous reunion with the spirits of her own adopted parents, who were now approaching. Sheena turned as Kahva Briton and spirits of her parents came over to them. Kahva was smiling, but there was a sad edge to it that only someone who knew her well could ever have spotted. _Billy can't see it, but I can, I can feel it. What's wrong?_ Either Kahva didn't or couldn't hear her, for her smile never wavered. _Or she's not going to answer me. _"Mr. and Mrs. Briton, I'm so glad you could come too!" 

"It is our honor and pleasure, we have missed you both greatly. Your parents feel the same way we do, we have always considered you to be as a daughter to us, as they have Kahva. We are proud of the both of you." Sheena moved to talk to the Britons, while Kahva reunited with the Devereauxs. Billy looked from one set of spirits to the other, the love and happiness he could feel from Sheena was immense, he was certain Kahva's was in there as well, joining with Sheena's and his. _ They didn't get to say good-bye, now they can, and they know their parents understand. _ Billy stole a look at his fellow Rangers, they were all on the verge of tears themselves, but they were tears of joy, not sorrow. He noticed David standing with Tommy, he'd quite forgotten that Tommy's twin had been teleported by Zordon and Alpha to witness the ceremony as well._ He could have just as easily been the Red Ranger, he deserved to come too,_ Billy thought. 

Sheena lowered her voice slightly as she spoke to Kahva's adoptive parents. "Kahva seems a bit sad, I thought this would make her happy. Wasn't she happy to see you again?" 

Mr. Briton smiled sadly and nodded. "She was, but something has upset her. She was happy to see us and the Devereauxs, but -" 

Mrs. Briton placed a comforting hand on Sheena's shoulder. "I think that maybe everything that's happened has been a bit overwhelming for her, and you know she's never been comfortable in crowds, where she felt she had to make conversation or was a topic of conversation. I wish that little man," she looked at the pug-nosed Councilor, "would quit talking about her. She's been through enough, you all have." 

Her husband looked a trifle sadly at Sheena. "We have to go now, Sheena, but we wanted to talk to you and thank you. You've helped our little girl through so much, she couldn't have had a better sister. Thank you, my dear." 

Mrs. Briton smiled and nodded. "We love you like a daughter, too. Take care, Sheena, and be safe." She looked up over at Sheena's parents, they had just finished talking with Kahva. 

"We have to go now," Sheena's father said, as he and his wife moved back over to Sheena, Kahva following with them, her smile still fastened to her face. "But you'll see us again one day, I promise. You've got a long life ahead of you, and live it well, Sheena Devereaux Cranston." 

"Silver Ranger, leader of the Power Rangers, and beloved wife of Billy Cranston, the Sapphire Ranger," her mother smiled. "We love you." 

"I love you, too, Momma," Sheena said. Kahva walked over and reached out to her parents, tears threatening to spill over as she and her parents bade each other farewell. A moment later, every ghost there vanished into the void from which they'd come. The other Rangers approached at that time, the group of friends losing themselves in hugs and excited chatter. After a few minutes though, Sheena noticed something amiss. Or rather, someone missing. 

"I thought Kahva was right here, where did she go?" she asked Billy when she didn't see her soul-sister anywhere. "Where did Kahva go, wasn't she with Jason?" 

"She was right here beside me - where did she go?" he said, scanning the crowd. The quiet young woman was nowhere to be found. With the sadness and unease she had felt moments before in her sister fresh in her heart, and the report of Vile's ship passing through Eltaran space hours before still in her mind, Sheena looked around, worry creasing her face. _Surely we would know if he turned back around... no, it's something else, please Goddess, let it be something else._ Sheena quickly split the Rangers up into search groups, even Telvok and Alacor joined in. 

"We've got to find Kahva."

* * *

Kahva half-walked, half-stumbled through the woods, not knowing or really caring where she was going. All she knew was that she hurt; her heart felt like it was tearing apart. _It's not fair!_ her mind screamed. _ They were so real, I could touch them, they were solid, I held them... and it gets yanked away after only a second! I would rather have not touched them at all! _ The tears she'd been holding back finally spilled out, she could shed them here without anyone seeing her, asking what was wrong. "Why couldn't I hold them longer?" she cried out loud. "Why do they have to leave?" All she could think about was how much it had hurt the night they were murdered. The doctors wouldn't let her touch them, then went one step further and wouldn't let her see their bodies, saying it was for the better, because they had been burned so badly in the fire. Kahva sank against a tree and kept crying, she couldn't stop. The girl was very glad no one could see her, she didn't want to talk to anyone, she didn't think she could. "Why?" she asked the sky. "Just give me a clue, why?" There was no answer, only the sounds of the nearby wildlife and the slight breeze winding its way through the trees. As she stared at a small animal that resembled a fox squirrel from Earth, there was a warmth in her mind, and a voice, or voices wove through her senses. 

_We did not want to hurt you, we thought if you could hold us one last time that it would help, somehow. We knew you were hurt by not being able to say good-bye._

"All I wanted to do was touch you, why wouldn't they let me touch you, see you?" 

_They were trying to protect you, our bodies were badly burned. Maybe that was wrong, but what is your last memory of us? How do you remember us?_

"I remember you full of life and love, living every day with joy. I always thought I had beautiful parents, because you both loved everyone so much, and loved each other." 

_Then hold that memory close to your heart, and know that we loved you from the moment we saw you, and we will always love you, for all eternity. We will not say good-bye, for one day we will all be together again. Here, we are together, and there is no pain for us. Do not worry, we know why you couldn't be with us when we passed, and we have never blamed you or anyone._

"I love you, Mom, Dad. I just wish you could stay." 

_We know dear. We wish we could too. Always remember that we love you, and we are proud of you. We love you, Kahva... _ The voices faded and the pain in Kahva's heart eased a tiny bit, she understood why she couldn't have held them longer... though the understanding really didn't make it hurt any less, just made it a little easier to deal with. 

Slowly she pushed herself off of the ground, wincing as she placed a bit too much strain on her injured hand. Billy had been partially right, the cut wouldn't need stitches, but it was deeper than they had first realized, and the tiny spot of flesh blood on Tommy's bandanna told her it was bleeding slightly again. She looked at her surroundings, she couldn't hear anything except for the wildlife and the breeze once more. Everything else was silent and peaceful. "Wish I could say the same for myself," she muttered quietly, flexing her hand. Kahva roamed aimlessly through the woods surrounding the tomb area, unable to really think of anything except how alone she was. No real family in either world left, except Sheena. _ If I ever lose her, I think I'll lose my mind._ She stopped in her tracks at that moment, then gave a dry laugh of self-disgust. "Haven't lost my mind just yet, but I've lost myself in the woods. Way to go, stupid," she chided herself. "It's a wonder Sheena or anybody else has ever wanted to be your friend." Kahva looked around, trying to remember the way she had come, she had to get back before anyone realized she was gone, she wasn't up to answering questions. She had lost the trail she'd followed however, and was hopelessly lost. "Great, just great! Now what?" A faint flicker several yards ahead caught her eye. "What's that?" she wondered softly. She didn't know why, but it was almost as if it were beckoning to her. "Can't get anymore lost than I already am, lost is lost. Okay light, what do you want?" she asked as she followed it deeper into the woods, not hearing the faint calling of her name far behind her.

* * *

"Kahva! Kahva, where are you?" Sheena called yet again. She was still on the planet, Sheena was sure of that, at least. She was also sure that the girl's emotions were on what she could only describe as a roller-coaster ride. Even Billy had picked up on her upset through Sheena by now, though it had seemed to ease a tiny bit. "Billy, you and Tanya take the left fork, Tommy, Alacor and I will take the right, keep in touch," she reminded, pointing to her communicator. _ Wish Kahva had one. Billy's going to make one for her as soon as we get home, that's all there is to it!_

"Don't worry Sheena, we'll find her," Tanya reassured her. "If something upset her, she probably just went walking to clear her mind. There's a chance she's already back at the tomb, wondering where we are." 

Sheena smiled, but she knew Tanya was just as worried as she was. All of them were worried. As they split up, Sheena noticed that she, Tommy and Alacor had picked up a couple of stragglers: the pug-nosed councilor, Arvid someone had called him, and two other councilors. _At least one of those three was on our side before my ancestor told them off. Wish that irritating one hadn't come along though, he's the last person Kahva needs to see when we find her. Please let her just be walking around somewhere, please..._

"Do you have any idea if we're heading in the right direction, Sheena?" Tommy asked. He hadn't been able to pick up Kahva's trail anywhere. 

Sheena forced herself to relax, to reach out with her senses, all of them. "I think... I think I feel her over this way," she pointed to her right. Alacor's face blanched first with fear, then with hope. "What is it, Alacor?" _Strange reaction for him to have._

"If you're sure, and she is over there... There's a wasteland there, it's not exactly the safest place in all of Eltar for her to be, the ground is littered with jagged rocks and hidden fissures. But perhaps... This way, we'll get there faster," he said, tearing down a smaller path at full speed. 

"What's gotten into him?" Tommy called to Sheena as they ran pell-mell down the narrow path after the curator. The councilors were huffing and puffing far behind them. _Hope they don't get lost._ "He just said if she's in the wasteland that it's not really safe, but if I didn't know better, I'd say he hopes she _is_ there." A scream in the distance set them running down the path as fast as the wind, tearing past Alacor.

* * *

After who knew how long, Kahva found she was no longer in the woods, but in a dry, rocky, stony region that seemed to be the heart of barrenness. Everything here was ashen grey, or what wasn't, was scorched black and smelled of sulfur. Rocks and boulders littered the broken ground, charred and petrified logs were scattered all about. A few small, shallow pools filled indents in the stone here and there, but gave no life to anything there. One pool was larger than the others, nearly three feet across either way; it was also the most shallow. Kahva carefully picked her way across the hazardous landscape, trying to follow the light to the pool. 

"You brought me here for this? Why?" she asked the light. It didn't answer, she hadn't really expected it to. "Now I have lost my mind, I'm talking to a floating light!" She almost turned back right then, but as she looked around, she couldn't help but wonder what this place had looked like once. "Surely it hasn't always looked like this," she mused. Another step and she was sliding out of control, speeding towards the pool - and the ground dropped from under her. 

"Help! Somebody help me!" Kahva screamed as she fell. Somehow she caught her hands on a boulder and stopped herself in mid-air, her feet dangling over open space. She risked a glance down and immediately wished she hadn't. Slowly, she managed to pull herself back onto solid ground, and only after catching her breath did she dare to look again into the fissure. It wasn't that deep, not quite twenty feet, perhaps only ten, but the bottom was filled with jagged rocks that would have injured her far worse than the fall would have. She gulped and pushed away from the edge, forcing herself to calm down. "I told Sheena I hate heights. The thing that makes them so bad is the falling!" Kahva picked herself off of the ground, stepping even more carefully now, not knowing if there was another fissure waiting to swallow her. The fall had served one purpose, she was nearly at the largest pool, nestled in a small ravine. A few cautious steps later, she was at its edge, walking around it, trying to keep her balance on the multitude of loose rocks that surrounded the water's edge. 

"Kahva!" Tommy's sudden yell startled her as she walked around the little ravine, and as she whirled about to look for him, she failed to see her foot coming down on a loose rock. She screamed as she slipped and fell to one side, her left hand, then the rest of her, splashing in the pool. Tommy, Sheena and Alacor all raced up as she got to her feet, Tommy reaching her first. 

"Where have you been, you had me worried sick!" Sheena called out as Tommy picked the girl up out of the pool, most of it water now on her, or sinking into the ground. "Don't do that again, I didn't know what had happened to you... oh Kahva," she said, wrapping her soul-sister in a hug that didn't allow the girl time to catch her breath. "Are you ok? You look like you fell pretty hard," Sheena asked, worry in her eyes. 

"Well, I'm wet," she managed to say with a slight smile once Sheena released her. "Tommy, honest, I _did _shower this morning, I don't think I needed another one. Well, I didn't until I fell part-way into that hole over there. Be careful, this place probably has more of them." Alacor had been standing back from the young people, and relayed her warning to the councilors who had finally reached the edge of the wasteland. 

"That's it, I've already decided, Billy is going to make you a communicator just as soon as we get home, even though you aren't a Ranger. It's too dangerous for you not to have one," Sheena declared. 

Kahva grinned at that. "You mean it's too nerve-wracking for you to not be able to contact me." Her grin turned to confusion as she flexed her left hand. "My hand... it feels... strange." 

"Let me check the bandage," Tommy offered, already taking her hand. 

"It's not a bad kind of weird though... it tingles. It's... kind of... nice, actually." Tommy was unwrapping the bandanna he'd left on her hand. As it came off, Tommy's face filled with shock.. 

"Ummm..." he stared at something. Kahva glanced down. "What is it, Tommy?" Then she stared also: the cut on her hand was gone. Her hand was healed and whole as if the injury had never happened. Alacor came over to examine it with trembling hands of his own, Tommy telling him how deep it had been just the day before. A startled gasp from Sheena drew all their attention away from the vanished cut for a few moments though. "Sheena, what is it?" Tommy wondered. 

"Guys, is it just me, or is everything turning... green?" Sheena stared around them. They all looked up to see verdant green grass springing into existence all around them, and crystal clear water springing up from almost everywhere. Flowers grew and blossomed, filling the air with the scent of roses, jasmine, jonquils and countless others, banishing the smell of sulfur forever. In less time than it takes to tell, they stood in the middle of a colorful, bounteous garden the likes of which none of them had ever seen before. Alacor smiled at Kahva as the other search parties found their way to the wasteland, witnesses to the miraculous rebirth.. 

"Remember this," he quoted the Prophecy. "There will be a trial of sorrow and pain, death and non-life. When lifeblood joins lifeblood, the circle will be complete, and a new dawn will be seen. The Child will have returned to right the wrong, bringing what will be dead back to life. This we promise you, Elysia and Zordon. Your sacrifice and loss will not be in vain, rather it will save those who are to come. You will know this time, by the return of the first and last of the past yet to come." Alacor turned to see that none gathered there could question what had happened. "The Prophecy has been fulfilled," he proclaimed. "None can doubt you anymore, you truly are the Child of the Prophecy, Kahva Briton. The Mystic Springs are your lifeblood, as you are its lifeblood. The first; you, and the last; Kahva Kilanye, of the past have returned to Eltar. The circle is complete, we now see the new dawn." 

Kahva spied the floating light at the edge of the crowd just then; if she didn't know better, she would say that it seemed rather satisfied with her. She was only dimly aware of Alacor's next words: "Welcome home." 

**To Be Continued**


	8. Dreams of Old

**Dreams of Old  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

_Kahva walked quietly through the woods near her parents' farm, heading off to meet her best friend. She was fuming a bit; her younger sister had been being completely and utterly annoying that morning, teasing her. _

"Kahva's got a boyfriend!" she'd grinned, chuckling over Kahva's discomfort. Finally, she'd slammed Olina up against a wall, glared right into her eyes, and threatened the destruction of every doll the eight-year-old possessed if she didn't shut up that minute. She'd gotten away from the farm right after that, she hadn't wanted to stick around and deal with her parents' anger for treating Olina like that. 

"He's not my boyfriend," the ten-year-old muttered under her breath as she headed for the neighboring farm where her friend lived. "He's just a friend. He's not even the kind of boy I like!" She paused for a moment. "Except as a friend." 

She flushed red briefly as she remembered that boyfriend or just friend, he was the first boy she'd kissed. It had just been a child's dare, it had felt more like kissing her brother would have, she suspected, but it had still been a kiss. 

Kahva paused for a moment, stopped beside a cool spring to wash her face in. She didn't dare let her friend see how red she'd gotten, or he'd tease her unmercifully. She took a deep breath as she relaxed, then chuckled softly. "He wouldn't tease me. He never does, no matter what. He treats me almost like I were a queen." 

For a moment, she found that unutterably strange. That someone, anyone, would treat her with such mixed friendship, respect, and distance. Then she shrugged, that was just his way. He'd been like that for as long as she'd known him, and that had been most of her life. 

"Kahva!" She glanced up at the familiar voice, but saw nothing. She smiled, he was playing one of his jokes again. He liked to hide from her, to see if she could find him. She always could, and this time was no exception. She turned to the elderberry bush a few feet from her and chuckled. 

"You're in there!" His laughter was enough of an answer, and she could see him starting to come out of the bush... 

"Sheena!" Someone was shaking her hard. Sheena opened her eyes and looked around, she was down by the lake near the cabin. She glanced over to see Tanya standing next to her, a worried look in her dark eyes. "Sheena, you were sleepwalking, it took me a few minutes to wake you up." 

The Silver Ranger shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs that threatened to crowd in there thick and fast. "I've never done that before," she muttered. "What did you want, Tanya?" 

Tanya frowned. "Don't you remember, we were going to be sparring over at the Youth Center. In fact, we were supposed to be there two hours ago." 

Sheena glanced at her watch; indeed, she was two hours past the noon sparring session. She shivered a little as the two of them headed back to the cabin. _ I've never slept-walked in my life. Well, I guess there's a first time for everything. Wonder what I must have been dreaming about, I don't remember anything..._

Tanya stole a look at her friend; she'd had nightmares before, but in the year and more she'd known her, she'd never known Sheena to sleepwalk. Billy hadn't known where she had gone, he'd thought she'd been taking a quick nap; she'd been up with nightmares again the night before. Luckily they hadn't been bad ones, neither Kahva nor Billy had picked up on them. But they were enough to ruin her sleeping. 

Tanya counted herself lucky, Sheena hadn't gone far. But the look on her face had worried the Yellow Ranger, Sheena had been absolutely expressionless, something they'd never seen before. _I hope she's all right; the very last thing we need is for Mondo to be up to something again. He hasn't done much besides send the occasional monster for two months now, he's got to be up to something. And when Mondo's up to something, that means trouble for everyone. Especially for Sheena._

* * *

Ice blue eyes burned with a fiery lust as he watched Sheena leave the lake and follow the Yellow Ranger back to the cabin. "Yes, the spell is working perfectly, you don't remember a thing, my dear. And you won't, because I can't have you finding out about me just yet," he muttered under his breath. He stared after the dark-haired woman until she disappeared from his sight. He didn't dare follow her, to be spotted now could ruin all his plans. _I've been waiting fifteen thousand years for my opportunity, I can wait a little while longer. Very clever, Kahva, to give your memories to your chosen heir... but you cannot defeat me that easily. Sheena will NEVER discover who I am: until she is mine. And by that time, she will love only me, for all eternity. _

He could hear the sound of the cabin door opening and closing, no doubt there was a joyous reunion taking place between Sheena and her present husband. _Yes... I can wait..._

* * *

"Tanya went to look for her, she thought she saw someone by the lake that might be Sheena," Billy told Jason over the phone. He paced a bit nervously; the last time he'd seen Sheena had been when she'd gone to have a brief nap several hours earlier. She'd asked him to wake her up when Tanya got there to drive them over to the Youth Center, but when the Yellow Ranger arrived, Sheena hadn't been in their room. 

"I hope she's all right." Jason sounded a little bit down in the dumps, despite the kind words. Billy picked up on it, and asked what the problem was. "Nothing... well... Emily and I had another fight, that's all." 

Billy bit his lip, Jason and Emily had been fighting a lot lately. She didn't like the amounts of time he spent with his friends, especially with Kahva. "You going to be okay?" was all he could think to say as he heard footsteps outside. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jason told him. "I'll get things straightened out with her." 

"Good," Billy smiled, turning to the door. His smile turned into a huge grin as Sheena and Tanya entered. "Look Jason, Tanya just got back with Sheena, if you need to talk or anything, let me know, okay?" 

"No problem, Billy," Jason managed to inject a couple of extra notes of cheerfulness into his voice. "See you around." Billy frowned slightly at the phone. _Maybe one of us should talk to Emily ourselves... no, that would be interfering, and might make things worse between them. What's gotten into Emily lately, anyway? It's not like Kahva is after Jason, she loves Daniel._

Once he'd hung up, Billy ran straight over to Sheena and wrapped her into a warm hug, smiling both with love and relief. "Where were you? Why didn't you tell me you were going somewhere?" 

"Because I didn't know," she said a touch dryly. "From what Tanya told me, I was sleepwalking." 

"Sleepwalking?" He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. To the best of his knowledge, she'd never sleptwalked! 

"I know, I've never done that in my entire life. I guess anything's possible, though," she touched his face gently. "Even miracles of love." 

They were about to kiss when Tanya cleared her throat suddenly, reminding them they had an audience. "Um, I hate to interrupt this romantic moment, but do you feel up to that sparring match, Sheena?" 

Sheena nodded. "Let me get my things, and I'll be right along." She shrugged a little. "I'm not going to let one little sleepwalking incident ruin my afternoon!"

* * *

"Well now, this is interesting." Safe in his Skybase, Mondo the Machine King had been watching the Earth with bored eyes, until the young woman he still considered to be _his_ Silver Ranger had wandered out of her home. He'd sent half a dozen Cogs down to attack her just to see something happening, he knew she could demolish them rather easily. She had approached them calmly, not bothering to morph... 

And she had walked right past them, as if they hadn't been there! They had started to follow her when Mondo had them called back up to the Skybase before that blasted robot Alpha could detect them on his never-ending scans. Sheena was behaving strangely, and Mondo wanted to know why, without the interruption the arrival of the other Rangers would have surely brought. Sheena had wandered about the landscape, finally stopping by the lake near her home. Mondo was intrigued as he watched her pause to wash her face in its waters, then seem to look off into the distance: totally unaware that the Yellow Ranger, Tanya, had just arrived. It had taken a couple of minutes, but she had finally awakened Sheena, who seemed not to know how or why she was at the lake. "So this is the phenomenon called sleepwalking: and this is the first time she's even done it here, maybe the first time she's ever done it in her life. If she ever has before, she doesn't recall..." A plan formulated in his mind as he watched Tanya and Sheena climb into Tanya's car to go to the Youth Center, a mildly concerned Billy waving at them as they drove off. "Now if someone will just ask that child Kahva Briton if she has ever known Sheena to sleepwalk; I need to know everything I possibly can about this, turn it to my advantage somehow... Yes, Sapphire Ranger, worry about your wife, and enjoy every moment you have with her," Mondo warned the image of Billy on his viewscreen. "Because once I've seen enough, once I have the right moment in my hands, your wife will be mine. My Silver Ranger will be here with me, to do my bidding... and the first thing I'll have her do is kill you slowly, for spoiling too many of my plans for far too long. Then she will destroy your friends, one by one... yes, I think I'm going to enjoy this," he chuckled softly to himself as Tanya and Sheena joined Jason and Kahva at the Youth Center. "Now, somebody just ask the questions I need answers to, so I can reclaim my ultimate warrior..."

* * *

The first thing Kahva noticed when Tanya and Sheena entered the Youth Center was the slightly worried expressions on their faces. Jason had been talking to Billy on the phone over something, but he hadn't told her what it was. Now she had an idea, something was obviously wrong with Sheena. It wasn't serious, she knew that already, for the link that bound her to Sheena would have told her if it were so. But whatever it was concerned her soul-sister, therefore it concerned her. A quick glance told her Jason had also been distracted by their arrival. Quickly he called a halt to their sparring, and they ended with a bow; student and teacher to each other. 

"Okay Kahva, that's enough for now," Jason told her. "We'll do some more later. I want to talk to Sheena and Tanya once they're done with their match." 

"No problem," she nodded. _So do I. I want to know why I couldn't 'feel' Sheena for almost two hours! I was just about ready to call the Power Chamber and find out if anything was wrong with her! I'm glad she's ok, but I don't like that two hour hole we had, not one bit._

They headed for their usual table after a quick shower, then watched as the Silver and Yellow Rangers started sparring. They were using karate, not Sheena's extremely dangerous _ki-see._ No one on the team... indeed, no one on the _planet_ could match her in that art. Sheena wasn't even a master yet, and all of them were rather curious as to what would happen when she achieved that status. 

"She's good," Jason observed. He'd taught Sheena in karate before she'd taken up _ki-see_ and still trained with her on occasion. Kahva nodded; it was amazing to see her soul-sister performing like this. _I can remember when she was so clumsy she couldn't move without knocking over a few dozen things and people. This world really is where she belongs; she fits in here perfectly. I wonder if I'll ever fit in as well_. A spectacular leap and kick by Tanya brought applause from them both, and Sheena as well, who had just barely managed to tuck and roll underneath it. Kahva sighed to herself, she was very far away from having anything like the fighting skills of her friends. She was getting better, stronger... but she still had a long way to go. _Sometimes I wonder why they keep me around, they have to watch out for me so much still. I've got to get better, I have to... wonder what it would've been like had I been born, or whatever part of me is the essence of Elysia and Zordon's child, had been born over fifteen thousand years ago. Would I be the same person back then as now, or would there have been only the one of us, the essence, in the past? Though supposedly there is only one of us, but blended from two... man, I wish Alacor had been able to give me some more answers about that._

The spar finally ended in a draw, neither of them was able to completely defeat the other. Kahva grinned at them as they grabbed towels and left the practice mats. _I can't imagine not knowing them, any of them, or my friends in our other world though, I love them all too much. Maybe that's why they keep me close, not just to protect me, but because they love me too? I had a second family back home with my friends and Sheena, perhaps I have truly been blessed with a third... if so, thank you Lord! _ She brought herself out of her musings as Tanya and Sheena joined her and Jason at the table. The first thing out of the Gold Ranger's mouth wasn't his usual cheerful greeting, but, "Sheena, I didn't know you were a sleepwalker." 

Kahva's eyebrows shot up into her hair. "She isn't!" she blurted out. "You've never slept-walked in your life! Heck, none of us have," she added. "Only thing that even comes close was when Josh was talking in his sleep that one time. Something about trying to get all the sardines in their tuxedoes. Bad reaction to cough medicine the doctor prescribed for him one time," Kahva explained, smiling at the confused looks she was getting from Tanya and Jason. "He was talking all out of his head until they changed the prescription the next day." 

Sheena laughed at the memory, then frowned slightly as her mind returned to what had happened earlier. She sighed and nodded. "I know. I've never even come close to doing anything remotely like this before. I guess anything's possible; it worries Billy, though." _And me, too. The Goddess only knows what could have happened if Mondo had seen me sleepwalking. Guess I got off lucky this time. Hope it doesn't happen again._

"How did you know she had been sleepwalking, Jason? Did Billy call you?" Tanya asked. 

"Actually, I had called him while you were looking for Sheena, he hung up after he saw you guys coming back to the cabin. Then after you left to come here, he called me back to let us know you were on your way." Jason reddened just a tiny bit. "I was supposed to call him back when you got here, to let him know you had arrived, I'd better go do that before he gets too worried. I'll be right back." Kahva's eyes followed Jason as he went to the pay phones, only to be offered the use of the Youth Center's phone by Emily. After calling Billy, he talked with Emily. Whatever he said must have cheered her, for she followed him back to their table, where Tanya and Sheena had been discussing Sheena's sleepwalking episode. 

"Billy knows you're here," Jason told them, not being able to go into much detail with Emily right at his elbow. 

"Your husband really worries about you, doesn't he, Sheena?" Emily asked in a pleasant voice, not even bothering to look at Kahva. 

"With everything that happens in Angel Grove, and what happened to our friends before our wedding, he's been very protective, I guess you could say," Sheena admitted. No one knew quite what to say after that, but Jason quickly jumped in to fill the lack of conversation. 

"Umm, Kahva, can we schedule our next sparring session?" 

"Not anymore for today, however," Emily warned in a sweet voice that was too good to be believed. "Jason is going to take me out for a romantic dinner for _two_. It has been a while since just the _two_ of us have been out, it's been too long." With a smile that could freeze someone's blood, she stared straight at Kahva. "He's so sweet, isn't he?" Only Sheena caught Kahva's hand moving slightly to her waist. 

"He's a very good friend, that's true. I'm sure you guys will have a great time," Kahva smiled back, her voice kind and neutral, completely void of any of the ill will Emily's had held for her. A sudden beeping from Kahva's waist caught her attention. "Whoops, that's me, the station must need me for something. What with King Mondo being so quiet lately, I've not had to do any PR work for the Power Rangers, so they've been able to use me for other assignments. I'll see you guys later!" Kahva grabbed her bag and waved good-bye to all of them, including Emily. She was nearly out of the door when Sheena caught up to her. 

"I'll walk you out," Sheena offered. When they had reached Kahva's car, Sheena grabbed her arm and pulled her up short. "All right, the station didn't call you, you set off your own pager, why did you do that?" 

Kahva sighed, taking her arm out of Sheena's grip and putting her bag into the trunk of the car. "Yes, I set off my own pager, but I'm sure the station can use me for a shoot somewhere. As for why, I'd think that would be obvious. Emily hates me. She hates me, and me being anywhere near Jason sets her off. It's my fault she and Jason have been arguing lately, I think she thinks I want Jason or something. The sooner I got out of there, the sooner her hackles would go down, so I set off my pager. It was the easiest way to get out without having a long conversation about it... so Jason wouldn't say anything, and then they get into another argument. He wouldn't tell me, but I'll bet that's why Jason called Billy the first time, when Tanya was looking for you. I'd be willing to bet the Power Chamber that they had another argument, and most likely it was about the session today with me." Kahva shook her head at Sheena's frown. "I'm not running, I'm avoiding setting off an argument. If Emily sees me as a threat, then I have to find a way to show her I'm not. Sheena," Kahva bit her lip as she climbed into her car, "decide who you think on the team also has judo as one of their strengths, and let me know. If they've got the time, I'll train with them, if not, I'll stop trying to learn judo, just stick to working with you and Tommy on the quarterstaff. The further away from Jason I am, the less he and Emily will argue, it's as simple as that. And if the arguments stop altogether, then we'll know for sure what the problem has been all along: me. Look, I'll see you and Billy tonight at the cabin for dinner if you guys are still up for it. I'll call to make sure. See ya, sis!" Before Sheena could protest her leaving, Kahva was gone. 

"Man!" Sheena kicked at the pavement, irritated at her inability to solve the problem. "Just when she was starting to relax around everybody again after that stuff on Eltar..." Sheena sighed and turned to go back into the Juice Bar. _One of us needs to make Emily see the light, but how? How do we do it without causing more problems? Billy, I hope maybe you will have some ideas tonight, I like Emily, but this jealousy bit is getting out of hand... _

Kahva watched Sheena go back into the Juice Bar in her rear view mirror with a heavy heart; she didn't like leaving like she did, but the sooner she was gone, the better. "I know you want to make everything better, sister, but you can't fix everything. And this is the only way I know to get things back on track between Emily and Jason." She fought back the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes as she drove the few minutes it took to get to the TV station from the Youth Center. _I like Emily, I want to be her friend! Why do I always screw things up? _ Once at the station, she found that they didn't need her for a shoot, but they did need help with editing, then with putting together the two newscasts that night after one of the producers called in sick. Kahva managed to lose herself so deeply in the work, she missed her dinner with Sheena and Billy, not getting back to the Power Chamber until very late. A note on her bed in Sheena's handwriting greeted her. "Missed you tonight. Everybody is still on for the park in a couple of days, and I mean _everybody_, so no excuses, Kahva. We'll get things straightened out with Emily somehow. Love, Your Sister." Kahva smiled a little at the note as she prepared for bed. _That's just like you; you've got your own problems, but you're still worrying about me, trying to look out for me. Thought that was my job, I am two years older than you, Sheena. I think you forget that, sometimes. I just hope you're right about Emily. But if staying far away from Jason is what it takes for them to get back on track, then that's what I'm going to do._

* * *

Sheena ran a brush through her hair, humming softly to herself as she did so. The one problem with having knee-length hair was she had to brush it on an extremely regular basis, or it would tangle up badly. As she encountered one particularly stubborn knot, she jerked at it, growling a touch under her breath. A gentle hand took the brush away from her and she felt a gossamer-soft pair of lips caressing her cheek. 

"Let me do that," Billy told her. "You've had a rough day." 

Sheena protested, "It was just a little sleepwalking, Billy! That's not so rough!" She didn't take the brush back from him though, as he started to carefully work out the tangle. She sighed; it was these simple pleasures that made the fight against Mondo so worthwhile. That, and knowing it was because of them that others could share these pleasures, or similar ones. 

Billy brushed quietly, his mind half on the luxurious wealth of hair attached to his beloved wife, half on the sleepwalking incident. That worried him; and the chance Mondo might have seen her doing it worried him even more. He had just barely managed to keep himself from teleporting wildly to the Power Chamber to start scanning for her once they'd realized she was gone that afternoon; if Tanya hadn't seen Sheena he most certainly would have done it. 

_I guess I worry too much about her. But old habits are hard to break, and I've worried about her since the first moment I saw her. I still can't believe we dreamed about each other all those years, and neither of us knew the other one was real. I love her so very much; I don't know what I'd do without her. _

Sheena taking the brush firmly away from pulled Billy's attention back to reality. He realized she hadn't had a tangle in almost five minutes; the brushing was over with. She smiled at him. "What were you thinking about?" 

"You," he told her, smiling. "But you already knew that." 

Sheena giggled, she had known that. But it was fun to ask anyway. As she put the brush away, she felt a warm tide of love wash over her from their linked minds. At the same moment, she felt Kahva's laughter, and intense desire to be left out of what they all knew perfectly well was coming next. They'd managed to figure out a way to block her connection to Sheena at necessary times, and as Billy pulled his wife closer to him, Sheena just barely managed to remember to do that. 

Hours later, Billy lay watching Sheena asleep in his arms. His heart was so full of love it didn't seem real at times. He traced a gentle design on her forehead, then kissed it. "I love you, Sheena," he whispered. "Thank you for coming into my life." 

He closed his eyes and was asleep himself in a few minutes. So deeply did he sleep he didn't notice half an hour later when Sheena's eyes flew open and she slipped silently out of bed. Had anyone been there to see her, they would have noticed her normally alive and sparkling green eyes were dark and shrouded in sleep still. She quietly left the house and began to walk, no longer Sheena Cranston, but someone else... someone else altogether. .someone who was...

* * *

_"Kahva!" She looked up as her father called her name. The young girl ran towards him, laughing and smiling. Her mother was standing next to him, indeed, all of her family was there! Even her aunts and uncles and all their children were there. She couldn't help but be happy, today was her eighteenth birthday. _

"Happy birthday, Kahva!" her cousin Jandar told her as he gave her a warm hug. All the other relatives were clapping her on the back, hugging, kissing, and wishing her the happiest of birthdays. 

"Thanks, everyone!" she smiled, today was already the happiest day she'd had in all her life. Her best friend had asked her to come by later that day; he had a special birthday present for her, he said, one that would be utterly unlike anything she'd ever received before. 

A throat clearing brought her attention to one of her oldest aunts. "Yes, ma'am?" she asked, turning to Aunt Sarda. The old woman smiled gently at her. 

"Kahva, I have a very special birthday present for you. I'm going on a round-the-world tour of Eltar, starting tomorrow, and I want you to come with me. We'll be gone just about a year," she told the startled teenager. "Do you want to come?" 

Kahva's emerald-toned eyes were wide with shock. "Around the world? Oh, this is incredible! I've always wanted to travel like that!" 

"I know," her aunt laughed gently. "That's why we're going." 

She literally squealed in delight as her parents gave their consent for her to go. "Oh, I can't believe this!" Suddenly her head came up sharply, and she remembered something. "I'll be back in about an hour, I've got to go tell the good news!" 

Before anyone could say anything, Kahva was off like a streak of lightning, heading back to her best friend's house. Her heart thudded with joy as she ran, she was going on a round the world trip! For a whole year! Oh, she'd miss her friends and family, but she would write them, and she'd be back. As she dashed up to the front door, she was laughing with joy, he would be so happy for her, she knew it in her core...

* * *

In between one step and the next, Sheena was herself again. The dream that had filled her mind was gone, as if it had never been. She stood on the front porch of the cabin, hand raised as if to knock. She lowered her hand, a bit confused. "What's wrong with me?" she whispered. "I must have been sleepwalking again." 

She hurried inside, locking the door behind her. Heart pounding with nervousness, she crept back into the bedroom, to find Billy still asleep. _Thank the Goddess for that, I could have never calmed him down if he'd woken up to find me gone. I'm not sure if I can calm myself down after that. I'm just lucky I got back home in one piece. Anything could have happened out there. I'm glad it didn't._

Sheena slipped back into bed, wrapping Billy's arms firmly around her as she did so. She leaned against the pillows, managing to conceal her worry from her own mind. She didn't want Kahva or Billy to pick up on it, they both had their own problems. She smiled lightly; she knew what they'd both say if she told them that. "Your worries are our worries, Sheena." She'd heard it plenty of times from both of them. Well, this was one thing she wouldn't bother them with. 

She was asleep again so fast that she didn't even notice the all-too-familiar form of Klank watching her from outside the window, or hear him muttering in his awful Scottish accent, "Ye canna count on your husband to keep ye safe forever, Sheena. King Mondo _will_ have his warrior back."

* * *

"So it has happened again." Mondo kept his greedy metallic eyes on Sheena as she slept once more. He had sent Klank down to watch her the moment he'd seen her rise from her bed, her eyes dark and distant. He wondered what it was that could be causing this, and a foul hope festered within him that it was something he could twist to his own advantage. 

He mused over what he'd overheard earlier in the day. That earlier sleepwalking experience had been the first time Sheena had done it. Something, he didn't know what, was happening to her. He peered down to observe her again, she was sleeping peacefully now. "Rest while you can, Sheena. Before too long, you'll be my ultimate warrior once again: and there will be no turning back ever again for you." 

Almost as if she'd heard him, Sheena turned in her sleep, and a brief flash of fear and pain crossed her face. Mondo chuckled to himself; things were going to work out just perfectly.

* * *

Kahva sighed, approaching their usual spot for having picnics and sparring in the park. _I don't want to be here, Jason is going to be here, and if Emily finds out, she'll go ballistic! She'll think I'm after Jason, why did Sheena insist I come today?_ Kahva sat down on the ground, leaning against one of the large, majestic oak trees. "Guess she doesn't want me hiding," she muttered to herself. "And if I hadn't come, she would've hunted me down and dragged me out here. Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky and Jason won't be able to make it." 

"Talking to yourself?" Kahva nearly jumped out of her skin as the Gold Ranger came up from behind the tree. "Mind if I join you?" Kahva offered neither protest nor invitation; Jason shrugged and sat beside her anyway. Long moments passed before he broke the uneasy silence. "Talk to me Kahva. Why haven't I seen you in two days? You haven't called to set up another session, when I've gone to the Power Chamber you've avoided me, what have I done?" 

"It's not you," Kahva quickly assured him. "It's me. I've caused too much trouble for you, you're better off if I'm not around you." 

"Ah, so it _is_ Emily that's at the bottom of this. Has she said something to you? What was it, I'll set things straight." 

"No, she didn't say anything to me, not directly... Jason, I've seen the way she acts around me, and you two have been having so many arguments lately... I'm not blind or deaf, Jason. She sees me as a threat, or interference of some sort. Maybe she thinks I'm after you or something, I don't know." Kahva looked Jason straight in the eyes for the first time. _I can understand at least part of her concern, he is handsome, and so very loving to those he cares about. But my heart is with Daniel, why doesn't she believe that?_ "Face it, the less you're around me, the easier things will be, you guys won't fight as much." 

"Kahva, it isn't you that's causing our arguments -" 

"Oh really? You can't tell me that you two haven't been fighting more often since I arrived in this dimension, Jason. I've asked Billy and Tommy both, they don't remember the two of you arguing like this before, or this often." 

"Because I never told them before." Jason stared at the ground, waiting for that little bombshell to sink in, and gathering his nerve to talk about what had been going on for some time now. "We've had little arguments before, every couple does. But Emily started having problems dealing with how much time I spent with my friends long before you showed up. This was going on before we ever met Sheena, in fact. Granted, we've had more of them lately, and..." Jason tried to stop himself from saying it, but Kahva's piercing gaze made him tell the truth. "Yeah, okay, she has thrown the time I spend with you in my face quite a bit. But I don't spend that much more time with my friends than I did before. She's just using you as an excuse, in my opinion." 

"Are you sure?" Kahva wanted to believe him, she'd missed his company and humor. She didn't like having to avoid _any_ of her friends, period. 

"Yeah. Man, I thought she would get over this, but... I guess I was wrong." Jason was the one sighing now, finally releasing his frustration. "What do I do to get through to her? I call her all the time, but most of the time when I do, especially lately, she acts like she doesn't want to talk to me. I'll ask her out, a week, even two weeks ahead of time to go out on a date, she turns me down two out of three times. But on the occasional time I say I can't go out, and she knows I'm supposed to be going somewhere, like a karate meet, or something with my family or school, even stuff that I've already invited her to, she goes off on this 'you don't have time for me, you don't care about me' trip. What do I have to do to make her understand?" Jason caught the guilty expression on Kahva's face; it hurt to see her blaming herself. "I didn't even tell her you were going to be here today when I invited her to come out with us. I didn't mention your name at all. She turned me down flat, so it can't be you that is making her act this way. Even if it was, you haven't done anything, you're not to blame for this Kahva. I don't know who or what is, but it isn't you." 

Kahva seemed to accept Jason's assurance, at least he hoped she did. "Have you tried talking to her? Telling her how you feel?" she inquired. 

"No. I'm scared to, I'm afraid she'll take it the wrong way. I love her, but I hate the way she's acting. I don't try and keep her from her friends, why is she trying to keep me from mine?" Jason rubbed his face, hoping to hide how upset he was. 

Kahva's hand on his arm nearly made him do something he rarely did: cry. "Talk to her. Be tactful of course, but be honest. Tell her how you feel, and ask her how she feels too. There's got to be a reason she's acting this way. Maybe she's afraid of sharing you, or maybe she's unsure of her heart, it could be any number of things. But you two have to talk things out." 

Jason nodded and smiled at his older friend. "I will, but on one condition. You stop avoiding me. Whatever is wrong between Emily and me, I won't have it interfering with our friendship, or any of my other friendships. Besides, I still need to work with you on your judo training," he grinned, trying to lighten the mood. Before he could extract that promise from her however, most of the other Rangers arrived, calling a halt to their conversation. 

"Good, you showed up!" Sheena laughed at Kahva a little, smiling. "I was almost afraid I was going to have to go hunt you down!" 

"Wouldn't want you to have to do that, would we?" Kahva chuckled. _I knew she would have! Do I know my sister or what?_ Ever since Kahva had returned from Eltar, Sheena had gone out of her way to keep an even sharper eye on her soul-sister. 

As the two of them smiled at each other, the other Rangers, except for Adam and Tanya who would be joining them later, were setting up the picnic area and spreading out the food. Kat slapped Rocky's hand lightly. "Stay away, that's for later!" she warned him as he tried to tear into the food. He pouted a little. 

"Oh, come on Kat, just a little taste?" he begged. Kat shook her head. "Please!" He was almost on his knees; it was hilarious to watch. Kat finally relented and handed him a small sandwich to keep him quiet. 

Various conversations held sway between the Rangers as Sheena gave Tommy more instruction in _ki-see_, and Jason and Rocky practiced their own martial arts together. When the girls finally called everyone together for the actual picnic, Rocky fell on the food as if he hadn't eaten for a week, at least. 

"I don't believe I've ever seen anyone eat that much!" Kahva's eyes widened a trifle as she stared at the Blue Ranger gulping down his food. "I didn't think it was possible." 

"There's a whole lot in this world that's possible," Sheena giggled. The teasing of Rocky continued, along with other small talk. When they were all together like this, it seemed so hard to believe that King Mondo, Master Vile, or any other galactic villain even existed. At one point Kahva wistfully wished that Casach, Master Madas' playful cheetah was there, commenting on the big cat's love of pizza. That brought another round of teasing as they all took bets on who could down a slice faster: Casach, or Rocky. As the laughs and giggles died down a little, Jason glanced at Kahva briefly, then finally found his nerve and asked something that had been on all their minds since she'd returned from Eltar two weeks after they had. Her mention of Casach had provided on opening, and now was as good a time as any to get her to talk about it. She'd restored the Mystic Springs, fulfilling an ancient prophecy, and had stayed there for a while after the Rangers had returned home. 

"What was it like those two weeks on Eltar?" Though they'd all been there before, only Sheena and Kahva had spent any extended length of time on the alien world. Sheena had spent her time training in _ki-see_, but Kahva had stayed there for a totally different reason. 

Kahva thought before answering; some of what she'd learned she wanted to keep to herself for now. "Well, it wasn't all fun and games. A lot of people kept looking at me and treating me like I was some sort of 'returned from the dead' person, or godling's scion, or something. It was really creepy, some people even acted like I was a deity or grand wizard of some sort, that I could heal by touching someone or looking at them a certain way... Other people, I think, were scared of me. Maybe they were afraid I would turn out to be evil, or maybe it's because my origins are so tied to Eltar's past, when they were just starting to have to deal with Master Vile and Rita, maybe it brings back bad memories for them, I don't know. But Master Madas taught me some meditation techniques to help me deal with it though, and they've worked fairly well." _ When I use them. I've been neglectful lately, maybe they can help me figure out a solution to Jason's problem with Emily, I need to use them more regularly. _

"How did it help?" Kat wondered, her voice breaking into Kahva's thoughts. "The meditation, that is." 

"Well, that wasn't the only thing that helped, but what it did was -" Kahva was interrupted as Tommy screamed out the one word guaranteed to stop any conversation dead in its tracks. 

"Cogs!" 

They were all on their feet in a second, morphed and ready to tear these machine invaders into scrap metal. "You idiots have the absolute _worst_ timing, do you know that?" Sheena yelled as she raced towards them ahead of the others, she'd never forgotten how they'd lured her away from the others in the Lunar Palace's tower prison room, nearly causing her death and theirs. Billy was hot on her heels, his vendetta with them was nearly as great as her own. 

"Come on, we can't let them have all the fun!" Rocky giggled as the rest of the Rangers went into battle. Billy glanced back suddenly, remembering Kahva, and called out, "Teleport back to the Power Chamber!" She was about to go, when one Cog suddenly sprang up to yank her communicator off her wrist and smash it. He received almost definite proof he and Kahva shared a link of their own somehow, when he felt the surge of rage coming from her as she pulled out her staff and extended it to full length. 

"Do you know how much trouble those things take to make?" she growled as she smashed into them with almost as much fury as Sheena was a few dozen feet away. A few long moments passed, which seemed more like years as they fought across the small clearing. Sheena glanced around as she slammed the last Cog near her into a tree and into several dozen parts, and saw Billy and Tommy were both being overwhelmed. Luckily they were close enough to each other so she could help them both, and she was on the way there in a flash. 

"Tommy!" Billy cried out. "This isn't going well!" 

"You're telling me!" the Red Ranger growled as he just barely managed to push another Cog off to one side. They seemed to be congregating on the two of them, the other Rangers were doing well, but Kahva was being held prisoner by a Cog now. She certainly wasn't making it easy for the robotic warrior though, another Cog was rushing to help his metal cohort. _Sheena will be able help her,_ Tommy thought, then he caught a quick glimpse of his cousin. 

She was standing in the middle of the clearing, still morphed, but he got the intense feeling of utter confusion and disorientation coming from her. Three Cogs ran right past her, being chased by Jason, and she completely ignored them! That was so unlike Sheena, he wondered for a second if that even _was_ her! He spared enough of a glance to notice Rocky and Kat were heading over to Kahva, doing their best to help her, but they were having to fight through the clump of Cogs surrounding where Kahva was being held captive. He saw the girl fight a flash of panic as she railed at the Cogs, "Let me go!" Tommy's stomach knotted as he realized that only Sheena was close enough to help Kahva in time, but the Silver Ranger was immobile. 

"Sheena!" Tommy screamed at her. "Sheena, what's wrong, what's going on?" He couldn't even be sure if she'd heard him, if she did, she didn't show it in any way. He couldn't believe his eyes; Sheena was utterly ignoring the danger to Kahva! He would have taken a bet she would have ignored danger to Billy, before doing that to Kahva! _Come on cousin, snap out of it! They're going to get Kahva this time if you don't! _ Even the Cogs seemed to wonder just what was up with the Silver Ranger. 

"Kahva!" It was Jason, who had just realized the Cogs were starting to drag Kahva away. Sheena seemed to come out of her trance or whatever it was in that moment, and realized what was happening to her soul-sister. Tommy actually winced as he saw Sheena start to run towards the Cogs; he knew what she was going to do next, and if she was in time, those Cogs didn't stand a chance. 

But what Sheena did was _nothing_ compared to how startling Kahva's own next move was. Sheena and Tommy both recognized it, but also knew they hadn't had a thing to do with her learning it. Kahva _ki-see_ punched the two Cogs holding her, slamming them together with all her strength. "I told you tin brains earlier, let me go!" she yelled fiercely. The move wasn't pretty, but effective, and the Cogs seemed a bit 'dazed', if that was the right phrase to use on metallic creatures, but they weren't out of it just yet. That took Sheena's move to do: a magnificent running leap over Kahva's head, which turned into a double back-kick that removed the Cogs' heads from their shoulders and sent them flying a good fifty yards into the trees. The rest of Mondo's warriors took that as the cue to leave in defeat once more. 

Kat was over by them a second later, asking Kahva, "Where'd you learn how to do that, I like that move! Is that something Tommy, Sheena or Jason taught you?" 

"She didn't learn _ki-see_ moves from us, Kat," Tommy declared. "I'd like to know where you learned that too." Kahva knelt on the ground, catching her breath and helping Billy find the scattered remains of her once fairly-new communicator. 

As the Rangers demorphed, Kahva told them, "That's the other thing Master Madas taught me that helped me deal with everything. It took me so long to get the hang of the moves, I couldn't think about anything else!" she laughed tightly, looking at Sheena. Her face voiced the group's question without a need for words: _What happened to you, Sheena?_

Sheena was leaning against a tree, pale and shaking a bit. _I can't believe what happened; I just totally zoned out in that fight, and because of that, the Cogs could have kidnapped Kahva! Goddess of Light, what is happening to me?_

"Hey, what's going on here? Did we miss something?" They looked up to see Tanya and Adam joining them. It was all Sheena could do at that moment not to either break down into tears or break out into laughter. She just wasn't sure which was more appropriate at the moment.

* * *

_Blast you Mondo! he raged. How dare you try to harm my love!_ He had arrived in the park just in time to see Sheena 'sleepwalking', as the humans called it, in the middle of a battle with Cogs. He knew perfectly well what was happening, and could not risk these episodes continuing much longer. He had been very relieved to see Sheena snap out of her trance-like state, even if it did mean she ended up rescuing some girl he didn't care about. _It must have been that maid of honor person, I wish I could've heard what the Gold Ranger called her, or could have gotten a better look at her, I feel power around her, old power... She could be trouble for my plans, whoever she is. _ He shook himself out of his thoughts as he realized the Rangers and their friend were about to leave, they had just been joined by the Yellow and Green Rangers. _I can't let Mondo get you, Sheena, you are mine, not his! I can't stop Kahva Kilanye's memories, but I can alter my spell. _

He concentrated for a few moments, then smiled grimly to himself as the Rangers and their friend teleported away. _There. It's done. Instead of keeping you from those memories that are resurfacing in your dreams forever, you will only be kept from remembering what you've dreamt until this dream cycle has terminated. You will live the memories out in your dreams until they end. Then after this cycle is over, I will have to find a new way to keep you from remembering me. But at least you will not be 'sleepwalking' anymore, you will not be vulnerable to Mondo once the cycle has ended._ That was his only regret, that his spell had somehow triggered Sheena's sleepwalking - but were it not for the spell, his plans could have come undone. Months of work ruined... _But it had to be done, it is not quite time to claim her, not just yet..._

He stared at the spot where the friend of the Rangers had stood, her back to him the entire time, partially hidden from his view by the bushes he had been spying from. _ Who are you, what do you look like? You had better pray that you don't interfere with my plans, little one, or you will pay the price. Anyone who keeps me from my prize will pay, that is a promise!_

* * *

"So what's the verdict?" Sheena tried to sound nonchalant; she didn't feel ill, all her faculties were clear as far as she could tell. _Hope my sleepwalking isn't because of some spell. But if it is, how? When could I have been around someone who could have placed that kind of spell on me, and I not remember something odd happening somewhere? Or for Billy or Kahva not to have picked up on someone finding me and doing that?_ Sheena watched as Alpha and Billy worked over the data from the scans they had run on her, swinging her legs idly as she sat on the examining table, waiting for the results. Kahva had taken to pacing back and forth, and Tommy wasn't much better, they had already bumped into each other three times. Jason finally caught Kahva's arm and pulled her to him, massaging her shoulders before she could protest. Kat followed his lead and grabbed Tommy, hugging him, and rubbing his back every so often. Tanya and Adam had commandeered a corner with Rocky, staying out of the way as best they could. 

"Okay," Billy started, finally breaking the tense silence. "According to the scans, there's nothing wrong with you Sheena, other than perhaps a lack of sleep. There's no indication when we compare our last regular scan of you with this one that there is any kind of spell or potion in your system. No viruses, bacterial infections, nothing. You're as healthy as can be." 

Sheena smiled in relief; she had felt just fine, but hearing her husband confirm it was a great load off of her mind. "I could have told you that," she said as she hopped off of the table and into his arms. "Now I think you need to check Tommy and Kahva for bruises, they been bumping each other like crazy with their pacing." 

"And wearing a track in the floor," Rocky joked. "Think we should make them repair it?" Kahva's response to that was to stick her tongue out at the Blue Ranger, but both she, Tommy and Billy wore similar frowns. 

"That still doesn't tell us why she zoned out in the battle," Tommy reminded them all. "Face it, we're lucky things ended up in our favor this time." Sheena shivered at that. One second she had been fighting Cogs, then in the next second to her, she'd seen Kahva being dragged off by Cogs. Finding out that she'd been 'zoned out' for nearly a minute in the middle of a battle, and that Kahva had been captured in that short time span was frightening. 

"I guess it's from that lack of sleep Billy mentioned," she guessed, casting a worried glance at her soul-sister. _I can't lose you because of a few restless nights, I won't!_ "Maybe if I get some decent sleep, that will take care of it." 

"Maybe so. We can put you on some mild sedatives to help you get to sleep, if we have to," Billy suggested. Sheena wrinkled her nose at that; she didn't like taking medicine if she didn't absolutely have to. "In the meantime, we'll have Alpha keep a tight lock on you in battle, and running scans on you during that time as well. If it's a lack of sleep we're dealing with here, then we shouldn't have anything to worry about, unless it gets more serious." 

"And what if it does?" Tommy asked. "You can bet Mondo saw what happened today, that's probably the whole reason he tried for Kahva with all of us around. He saw Sheena was zoned out, and since she was the one who could've gotten to her the fastest, he probably figured Kahva was an easy target. If it happens again, he may get braver and try for both of you next time," he finished with a worried glance at the two girls. 

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there, I mean, it's just a lack of sleep, Tommy," Sheena tried to reassure him. _Or am I trying to reassure myself?_ "Alpha, how about keeping a tight lock on Kahva too, just in case it does happen again? If I zone out in a fight, and we're both there, get us out right then, before Mondo can try anything." 

"Sounds like a good idea, and I'll try to stay close to you so we can shift out, in case he blocks our teleportation system," Kahva added. "Doing that is almost second nature for him, it seems sometimes." Sheena could still hear a hint of worry in her voice, though. "I'm going to have to do it until Billy can fix my communicator anyway, so that's a habit that won't be hard to start." Billy and Sheena both heard her unspoken wish very clearly. _Wish I didn't have to depend on one of you to shift, it takes a Ranger from where they are needed, and makes me a burden when I can't teleport. You guys don't need a burden in a battle!_

Sheena walked over to her soul-sister and gave her a reassuring hug. "We're going to get through this, and you're not a burden," she whispered. To the others she gave a smile and a bit of bravado. "One of these days, Mondo is going to realize it's a major mistake to mess with the Sisterhood." 

"Can't happen too soon for me," Kahva responded. 

"Me either," Billy added. "It can't happen soon enough for all of us. We haven't had much time to spend together or by ourselves, except for the past two months that he's been a bit quiet. Personally, I'd like a longer vacation from the bad guys than that. Now," he said, moving over to Sheena, "how about we work on getting you some of that sleep you need, sweetie?" Everyone teleported out over the next minute or so, with Tommy being the last to leave. 

"See you at the Youth Center tomorrow, Kahva?" When she didn't immediately answer, he moved to place a hand on her shoulder. "Kahva? You okay?" 

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say?" 

"Where were you just then?" Tommy gave her a concerned look. "Maybe it's not just Sheena we should consider sedating a little; are you getting enough sleep yourself?" 

Kahva smiled a little. "I'm not zoned, Tommy. It's just... am I the only one who felt confusion coming from Sheena in the fight?" 

Tommy sighed and frowned. "I'm glad you said something. I was beginning to think I had been the only one to feel it. But it was vague, I can't describe it. What did you feel?" 

The older girl weighed her words carefully, trying to describe the flash she'd felt from Sheena. "I'm not too sure, I couldn't think about it too long, the Cogs were kinda vying for my attention," she stated, her voice not hiding her dislike of Mondo's metal men one bit. "But for a second, it was as if... as if she thought she was somewhere else, it was right at the start of when she zoned out, I guess. Then when she 'woke up', for an instant, it was almost like... like she was surprised we were fighting Cogs." 

"Like she had forgotten who we were fighting, or the fact we were fighting?" Tommy didn't like that possibility at all. 

Kahva shook her head. "No, she expected to be fighting." She shook her head again, then looked up at Tommy. "This is going to sound crazy, but... I think maybe she expected to be fighting someone, or something else. That doesn't make sense though." 

"Maybe she felt that way because of zoning out? Could that be it?" Kahva and Tommy tried to puzzle it out a few minutes longer, but the only thing they gained were matching headaches. "If there is a next time, you and Billy have to try to reach her, we have to try to figure out if she's dreaming, or just what is going on in her head. Something tells me that's the only way we're going to find out what is happening here." 

Kahva nodded her agreement. "I just hope it's nothing serious." And for the first time, Kahva could almost clearly hear Tommy's mental agreement. "I heard you," she breathed. "I heard you in here," she said, tapping her head. "You _do_ have a link with Sheena, you've got to. And through her, a link to me. It's like what I heard was being filtered through something, but I still heard you... well, _felt_ would be a more accurate description. It was more emotion than actual words, you're not as clear as Billy is to me. I mainly get emotions from him, but sometimes there are a few clear words. I think he's picking up more on my emotions, if not actual words, every single day. I know he's seen some of my nightmares. But this is the first time I've felt you at all." 

Tommy's eyes widened at that, for a fleeting second he thought he might have felt Kahva's emotions too, but it had been so faint, he wasn't sure. "All four of us really need to work on this, work on strengthening the links." 

"Definitely," Kahva agreed. "I'm positive I felt your emotions just then. Tommy," she placed her hand on his arm, her voice more urgent now, "if Sheena zones out again, you need to try and reach her too, or see if you can sense what she's thinking or feeling. You might be able to pick up on something that Billy or I might miss. With three of us trying, that should improve our chances of figuring this out." Tommy sighed and hugged Kahva, walking her to her quarters. After she closed her door, he simply stood in the hallway for a while, lost deep in thought, then he finally teleported out, hoping that she was right, that together they could figure it all out. _Please let us all be worried over nothing, please..._ But as he materialized in his bedroom, he couldn't shake the feeling that what was happening could be a big problem not only for Sheena, but for all of them, if they didn't figure it out soon.

* * *

"Scared you, didn't I?" Mondo gloated at the replayed image of Sheena in the park in his viewscreen. He'd sent the Cogs down mainly as a test, to see if Sheena's recent sleepwalking had dulled her fighting skills any, or slowed her reaction time. It hadn't in the least, and the Machine King was still not sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. But then in the middle of the battle, she had frozen, apparently unaware of anything going on around her. Mondo decided to take advantage of her distraction and use the opportunity to kidnap Kahva. "I nearly had that child, when did she start to learn _ki-see_? It doesn't matter, I'll just have to use more Cogs to capture her. She's not on the level of the Rangers, but she _is_ becoming a better fighter. Perhaps her powers have strengthened in this time as well..." Mondo considered launching an attack the very next time he could find the girl alone, preferably when Sheena was sleepwalking again, and kidnapping her, but decided against it. "Not yet," he told himself. "Wait until you have Sheena in your grasp, under your control, then have _her_ kidnap the child. Yes..." he laughed, pleased with his plotting. He would gain control of Sheena, then Sheena would kidnap her best friend. "Once I have them, I'll have my Silver Ranger kidnap that irritating Billy and Tommy, I'll put them under my control, and then the whole planet will be mine for the taking!" 

"I've heard that before," Klank muttered from the shadows where he had been watching his master. Unfortunately for him, Mondo heard his audible lack of faith. Klank was rewarded with a blast from Mondo's staff, which sent him flying through the foot-thick wall he was in front of and into the next room. 

"Never question my judgment, _never_, do you understand!" A faint squeak from Klank seemed to satisfy the Machine King as he turned back to his viewscreen. "All I need is for Sheena to sleepwalk again, and she will be mine, just as she was always meant to be."

* * *

"This is awesome, Sheena! I don't know how you come up with this stuff," Kahva praised her best friend. The past four days hadn't been disturbed in the least by any attacks from Mondo, or repeated episodes of sleepwalking by Sheena. She had gotten a good night's rest each night, thanks to a mild sedative that Billy had put her on. This night was going to be the first one without taking it before bed though, as a test. Kahva had come over after pulling a late night at the TV station to check on her, and ended up doing something she hadn't done in nearly two and a half years: she was reading a rough draft of Sheena's latest novel, critiquing it and checking it for consistency. Kahva sighed happily as she put down her hard copy. "It's been way too long since we've done this; stayed up late, pulled apart one of your stories, and put it back together again." 

Sheena stretched and saved the editing they had done on her computer. "I know, the last time was so long ago... about a week before..." Her voice trailed off as the memory came back. 

"Before you 'left', before you were transported over here by Kahva Kilanye," Kahva finished for her. "What ever happened to that novel anyway?" she asked, trying to change the subject a tiny bit. She'd seen the flash of sadness on Sheena's face, and wanted to keep her cheerful, not melancholy. _Maybe we need to try and go home for a visit soon. We're planning to go in about four weeks, but maybe we need to push it up a bit. We both miss the old gang... and I miss Daniel, too._

"It became the first one I sold here in this universe," Sheena grinned, her face brightening, much to Kahva's relief. "I just realized, you've never seen it." 

"Well," Kahva smiled back at her, "I guess I can forgive you this once. After all, we have been kind of busy these past... what, three months or so that I've been here? Things have been hectic on occasion. Just don't do it again, young lady," she jokingly warned. 

"Yes ma'am!" Sheena laughed, showing a smart salute to her sister. "Here," she said, getting up and removing a book from the nearby bookshelf, "I've always kept this copy put up just in case... in case I found you, or found a way home again. Read the dedication. I've also got copies for everyone else back home too, we need to give them theirs when we go back to visit." Kahva took the book as if it were a fragile treasure, which for her it was, and opened it with great love and care. A few moments later, she smiled and read the dedication Sheena had written for it aloud. 

"For my friends, who I miss with all my heart. Without them, I could never have gotten this far. For my soul-sister, who I miss with all my soul. She is a part of me, and a part of this work; without her, it could never have been written. One day, we shall all be together again, and that shall be the happiest day of my life. Love, Sheena." Kahva closed the book, tracing the elegantly scripted title on its cover. "Love's Journey," she murmured. "You finally named it." 

"Yeah... One title that has really fit a huge part of my life, though I didn't know it back then." Sheena sighed and smiled a bit sheepishly. "I even autographed the book for you... well, I autographed everybody's, but I did something a little different in yours." 

Kahva cocked an amused eyebrow at the young writer, then reopened the book, flipping a page past the dedication. She found a message just for her there in Sheena's beautiful handwriting. "The journey of love begins with a single step: the first step as a toddling babe to a parent's outstretched arms, then we continue on through life to other 'first' steps: first friends, best friends, first loves, lasting loves... Once in a while, we are blessed to take a step on our journey that leads us to a kindred spirit, a brother or sister of the soul, one without whom our lives are not complete. You are that sister, my dear Kahva, and I thank The Goddess every day for the gift of your love and friendship; for giving me a true soul-sister. As you once wrote, '_Miles away, or standing here, the heart will always keep us near. Heaven or Fate, who can say, just what brought us together that day. Blood cannot bring us any closer. It is our hearts and souls, we find, that keep us forever in each other's mind. Time will flow as the tides, but it is love that will cross the divide. Blood could not closer sisters make, and time nor distance, can that bond ever break.' _ I love you Kahva, never forget that. Please don't ever forget me. We are sisters for all time, and I firmly believe that we will be reunited one day. Love, your Sister... Sheena." Kahva closed the book, tears close to falling down her face after she'd finished reading the message Sheena had left for her. One look at each other and they both cried, holding each other until their tears ended. "Sheena... I could never forget you, never. Before I met you, the only family I had was Mom and Dad, but I still felt so alone... I never had any friends at the orphanage, but when I met you, I found more than a friend." 

Sheena smiled as she grabbed a box of tissues for them both. "Now we know why we met like we did... we know who made sure we would both be in the same dimension, on the same world, at least: Elysia. We know that even without our families being connected in the past, we would've been drawn to each other, we would've been friends anyway." 

"I know... it's comforting to know that we weren't pulled together _only_ because of our ancestors, you know?" Kahva stopped as she spotted a quick slight frown cross Sheena's face. "What? What wrong?" 

"It's... it's kinda what you just said. I've wondered for some time now if Billy and I would've been drawn to each other without the influence of how Kahva and Silias felt for each other." 

Kahva hugged her soul-sister close. "Something tells me you two would've found each other anyway. But you don't need to hear that from me, you need to talk to Billy about it. But trust me, you two were made for each other, regardless of the bond between the original Silver and Sapphire Rangers." The current Silver Ranger nodded; that was what she wanted to believe, it was what she was trying so hard to hang on to right now. So many things had felt out of her control over the past few months: Kahva's being dragged to this dimension with Daniel at Mondo's order, their subsequent imprisonment and mistreatment... The attacks that had followed after her honeymoon with Billy; where Mondo had been intent on grabbing her, or Kahva, or both of them... Vile's attempt to capture her when they had gone to the Lunar Palace to retrieve Kahva Kilanye's body, and the events that had followed which caused Kahva Briton to stay on Eltar for two weeks after the first Silver Ranger's long-deserved funeral... The past two months had been a bit of a 'vacation', as Billy had put it, but with the break, Sheena's nightmares had returned in the past month, she'd barely been able to hide them from Billy and Kahva. Now the nightmares had been replaced with sleepwalking. _Why is all of this happening? Why can't I keep things under control?_ Just then, Sheena felt Kahva's eyes on her. _Oh no, what has she picked up on? What do I do, what do I tell her?_ Sheena waited, if Kahva had a question, she'd ask it quickly. 

Sheena wasn't made to wait long. "Sheena, what's bugging you?" After getting no answer, Kahva pressed on with her interrogation. "I know you've been trying to block me, and probably Billy for about a month now at night, sometimes. Nightmares again?" 

"Yes," Sheena finally admitted. Kahva had been sure of it anyway, so there was no use in trying to hide it. "But in the past several days, they've disappeared, I haven't had a single one." 

"And in the past several days, for the first time in your life, you've started sleepwalking. I don't like the timing of this, Sheena." 

"It's just a little sleepwalking, Kahva! I haven't done it in four days now, it's over with! You guys worry too much," Sheena tried to persuade her friend. But Sheena didn't like the timing any better than she did however, and Sheena was determined to hide at least some of that feeling from her soul-sister. _Sharing minds does have its drawbacks..._

"We're your friends, it's our job, comes with the territory," was Kahva's snappy reply. "Sheena... Tommy and Billy and I have been working on something. We've been working on the links. Maybe it will help us figure out what's going on when you're sleepwalking, _if_ it does happen again." 

Sheena wasn't surprised at that announcement, they had been talking about working on the links for some time now. But one of the people involved in the testing did surprise her a bit. "Why Tommy? Has he been picking up on me?" _Great, someone else to know how little control I have on things right now. Maybe that's a good thing though, Tommy would most likely be the first one to pick up on any signs that I'm not fit to lead, if things get that bad. I can't let them get that bad, I won't! I have to get control back of things, I have to. I wish those old dreams would go away though. _

"Actually, I picked up on Tommy's emotions for the first time four days ago, and he thought he felt me too... Sheena? What old dreams, what are you thinking about? Don't turn away from me, I clearly heard all that just then." Sheena's shoulders slumped, there was a _definite_ disadvantage to sharing a mind with other people, especially when one of them knew you as well as Kahva knew Sheena. Kahva steered Sheena to the couch and sat beside her. "Sheena," she started gently, "I know how you hate not being in control of things that affect you, and those you care about. But you have to realize you can't control everything, none of us can. You have to let it go sometimes, and just do the best you can, you know? And believe me, from everything I've seen since I've been here, you are most assuredly fit to lead the Rangers." Sheena smiled a little at the older girl's reassurance. "And there is absolutely nothing wrong in talking to anyone about what's troubling you, there is no shame in it whatsoever. It's a sign of wisdom, of knowing when to seek help." 

"Who taught you that, Master Madas?" 

"He reminded me, but I've been telling you that for years, Sheena," Kahva replied. "If there's anything you need to talk about, grab me, or one of the Rangers, and talk to us, please?" Sheena finally nodded a promise, and after hugging her, Kahva asked, "Now what's this about old dreams? What were you thinking about?" 

Sheena bit her lip, she wasn't quite sure what she had been going through herself. "I think I've been dreaming of some of Kahva's life lately... or maybe I've just been thinking about it, I don't know exactly. I don't even know when I've been dreaming, or thinking about it specifically, I just know that I have for a while now, ever since my nightmares went away. I wish I could remember just what I've been either dreaming or thinking about, maybe I would know then when I've been doing it. I know this doesn't make any sense, but I can't describe it any better than that." 

Kahva furrowed her brows in contemplation. "No, it does make a certain sense... could you have been thinking, or dreaming of Kahva's life while you've been sleepwalking?" _Could we finally have a clue about what's been happening here? I've got to talk to the others about this. _ Sheena shook her head though, a small frown crossing her features once again. 

"I don't know what I've been thinking, or doing, or dreaming when I've been sleepwalking." 

"Hmmm," was all Kahva said as she mulled it over for a few moments. "Maybe with Tommy, Billy and me all trying to sense something from you when you sleepwalk, if you do it again, we can figure out if you are dreaming about Kahva during that time." 

Sheena nodded, it made sense for them to try that. "And if I am thinking, or dreaming, of her life when I'm sleepwalking... what does that tell us?" 

Kahva yawned, looking at her watch. "I don't know, but maybe we will figure that out once it happens, _if_ it happens. Girl, do you realize it's one in the morning?" 

"Yeah," Sheena chuckled. "We really haven't stayed up this late together in a long time. You've been up for nearly twenty hours straight though, you should go to the Power Chamber and get some sleep." 

"What about you? Billy isn't home yet, he must still be working at the university on that research project he got corralled into." 

Sheena grinned. "He was rather happily 'corralled' into it, as you put it. Something about genetic markers. Look, don't worry about me, Billy should be home before too long, and I'm about to fall out myself anyway." 

"What, you fall asleep and miss the triumphant return home of your knight in shining sapphire armor?" Kahva teased. "It would be a shame for you to miss that, you know. I guess I should get going - oh, I've got the picture for you, let me fish it out of here..." The older girl made for a comical sight as she nearly dove into her backpack for the photo, Sheena couldn't help but giggle at her. Kahva's head exited the bag with a mock frown which quickly changed to a smile as she held aloft a stiff cardboard envelope. "Here it is. I've got copies for the others too, but I wanted your opinion first." 

Sheena took the envelope and shook out the eight by ten photo of all the current Rangers in full uniform, holding their helmets at their sides. Sheena stood in the middle of the group with Tommy to her right and Billy to her left, the other Rangers and Alpha fanned out to either side. "Breaking that darkroom you, Billy and Adam set up in rather quickly, aren't you?" the Silver Ranger laughed. "The picture is great, Kahva, I don't think you have it in you to take a bad shot." 

The other girl grinned, then pointed out Rocky and Tommy specifically in the picture. "Explain something to me," she requested. "If Tommy has the Diamond powers, and Rocky has the Ruby, then why is Tommy the Red Zeo Ranger, and Rocky the Blue? That's been bothering me for a while now." 

Sheena chuckled at that. "Believe it or not, I asked Zordon the same thing not long after I joined the team. The Zeo Crystal fragments, which were in the past the Power Crystals, lost their hold, for lack of a better term, on specific colors over the years. When the current members claimed their shards, they took on the primary color in their own personal aura. Their Ranger colors are not the only colors in their auras by any means, with some of the Rangers, their primary color is primary by only a slim margin over the others. But each shard had it's own specific power resting in it, and could only be claimed by the person or persons it was meant for. That's why both Aisha and Tanya could've taken the Topaz, we discovered last year they were very distantly related. But Tanya is actually a more direct descendant of Linon Aranon than Aisha is." 

"And that's why both the Treys and Jason could have been the Gold Ranger, they're all descendants of Caleen Radsha, but the records show Jason is actually the more direct descendant, I think I understand now." Kahva digested everything for a minute or so, then gave her soul-sister a puzzled look. "Wait just a minute... Rocky's primary color is blue? But that indicates logic and planning, and he's so impulsive -" 

"He can be very logical... when he wants to be. Rocky is the light of our little group, he's the jokester when we need it. But when logic and careful planning are called for, he can be just as serious as Billy," Sheena assured her. Kahva laughed at the thought of a serious Rocky, but had to admit Sheena was right, he could be logical... when he wanted to be. Kahva stayed just a few minutes longer, but then went out to her car and called for Alpha to teleport it and her to the Zord Holding Bay. Sheena watched her leave, then made her rounds through the cabin, making sure everything was turned off, except for one lamp turned on low near the front door, so Billy could have enough light to see by when he got in. "Please come home soon, Billy," she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Billy crept into the cabin quietly, the last thing he wanted to do was to wake Sheena up, if she was asleep. Silently he padded through their house, leaving his briefcase in the living room, shedding his clothes in the bedroom. A look at the clock told him it was nearly two in the morning, they had both had a long day. Kahva had called him on his communicator after she had gotten back to the Power Chamber, letting him know that Sheena would most likely be asleep when he got home. _I hope she is, she needs a good night's sleep without medication, if she can get it._

The full moon outside of their home shone through their bedroom window, casting its light upon his slumbering wife as she lay on her side. She was more beautiful every time he looked at her, and Billy never grew tired of looking at her. Slowly, silently, he slipped into their bed and snuggled up to his love, tenderly kissing her lips, cheek and neck in turn, gently caressing her bare arm and pulling the bedsheet up a bit over them both. "Sleep well, beautiful," he softly whispered in her ear. She murmured something in her sleep, a smile on her face as she did so. _A good dream tonight,_ Billy happily thought as he lay beside her, falling asleep himself even as his head touched the pillow. _She deserves a good dream..._

* * *

Kahva was nearly asleep when a wave of amorous feelings washed over her. _Billy's home, and he's getting in bed with Sheena,_ she knew. The feelings were hazily returned by Sheena to her husband. _She's asleep_, Kahva realized. Kahva stretched and turned in her bed, sleep was such an inviting thought at nearly two o' clock in the morning. She tried vainly to stay awake, to see if she could determine if Sheena was dreaming about Kahva Kilanye, but couldn't stay awake herself. As sleep claimed her, she thought she felt something shutting her off from Sheena a bit, but the troubling feeling was lost in her own deep slumber.

* * *

_Kahva wandered down the street, her heart pounding with joy. She had been having so much fun on this trip; she was so glad Aunt Sarda had taken her along. Oh sure, she missed her parents and her friends, especially her best friend. But she was picking out some very nice souvenirs for them all. _

She glanced over her purchases one more time, detailing them all out in her mind. The history book for her brother, he loved the past; the bolt of silk for her mother, she could make the most beautiful gowns from it. She smiled a little as she saw the tiny carved horse she'd picked out for her youngest sister; Olina loved horses, and longed to be a warrior one day. 

She stumbled suddenly as someone bumped into her, causing her to drop everything she had. "Oh, I'm sorry," a young male voice said. She started to pick her things up, with the stranger helping her. 

"It's all right," she reassured him. Their hands touched briefly as they both reached for the little horse, and Kahva found herself looking into the warmest pair of green eyes she had ever seen. Her heart literally stuttered as she kept looking; she didn't ever want to look away. He was too perfect, simply too perfect... 

"It was my fault, I should've been looking where I was going. I'm sorry, ma'am." Even his voice caused her heart to pulse with joy. Kahva didn't want him to stop speaking, ever. 

"It's okay," she told him. "I'm Kahva Rhaydra." 

"Dalien Kilanye."

* * *

"Mmm, wha-?" Billy awoke with a start, but couldn't quite get his thoughts focused at first. "I thought I was..." Billy mumbled to himself. _Somewhere else, but where? Eltar? That doesn't make sense, unless Sheena was dreaming about Eltar, or if Kahva was. Must've been Sheena - Sheena?_ As his eyes cleared, Billy placed his hand where his wife should have been lying beside him, but she wasn't there, the bed was cool. "Sheena?" he softly called out. There was no answer in the room. "Sheena?" he called again, louder this time. His heart chilled after a quick look at the clock, it wasn't yet six. "She's never up this early," he muttered, quickly slipping on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. He ran about the cabin, calling her name louder and louder, but still he received no answer. Billy dashed outside, yelling for her at the top of his lungs, hurrying to the lake, checking everywhere she could have possibly gone to, but Sheena was nowhere to be found. He tried several times to raise her on her communicator, but got no answer. He finally teleported to the Power Chamber, a dread fear clawing at him as he called the other Rangers in, and sent a wake up call into Kahva's room. 

"Hey Billy, what's up?" Kahva asked with a yawn, stumbling in dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "It's not quite six o'clock, what's going on? Where's Sheena?" A wave of troubled emotions from Billy washed over her; part worry, part something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on... but it felt oddly familiar though. 

Billy's answer cut into her thoughts just then. "That's what I don't know - yet. Sheena's missing." 

That woke Kahva instantly, and in a second she was helping Billy with the scans he was running, trying to find Sheena. As the other Rangers teleported in one by one, Alpha explained the situation to them, and all wore the same worried expressions. At one point, Billy thought he had found her when he finally got a lock onto her communicator, but only the communicator teleported into the Power Chamber when he brought it in. 

"She would never take this off when she's out on her own," Tommy said, fingering the communicator. "It's a little wet, morning dew, maybe?" 

"It's a little cool, too," Adam commented, taking the device from Tommy. "It still works though, and there's so sign of it having been forcibly removed." Adam put the communicator on his own wrist. "The latch isn't broken either." 

"So Sheena took it off out in the middle of - where did you teleport that from, Billy?" 

"The park, Kahva," Billy replied a bit snappishly as he continued to scan for the Silver Ranger. Kahva flinched at his sharp response, but said nothing as she continued to assist in the scans. "The middle of the park, how could she have gotten all the way out there? Our cars are still at the house, and the logs here show that no one used the teleportation system after you got in early this morning. She was either picked up, or she walked out there," he guessed. Billy stopped himself there, he'd seen Kahva's reaction to his tone of voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that Kahva, I'm just -" 

"I know," she quietly answered. "I'm worried too." 

"I don't think she would be catching rides in the wee hours of the morning, so she must've walked. How long would it take for her to get there?" Kat asked, breaking the slight tension. _Billy rarely snaps at anyone; this has him scared silly! What hasn't he told us?_

"A little over three hours to get to where I picked up on her communicator, going at a steady pace. I've tried to sense her, to contact her mentally, but it's like she's not there... She's not dead, I refuse to believe that. She's still alive, wherever she is." _She has to be, I can't have lost her in the past four hours, I can't!_

Kahva nodded and went over to Billy, giving him a reassuring hug. "I can't sense her either, but I think we would know if she wasn't... with us anymore." 

Billy returned Kahva's hug as they waited for a new set of scans to come in. "Something else guys," Billy sighed, the worry evident in his voice. "None of her clothes are missing, except for the nightgown she was wearing last night. I'm afraid she might have been sleepwalking again." 

"When did you find out she was gone, exactly?" Tommy asked. 

"I woke up at about a quarter to six, and she wasn't in bed. I searched everywhere in and around the cabin before I called you guys and teleported in here to start the scans. If it hadn't been for that dream I think I had, I might still be asleep right now. Her side of the bed was cold, she's been gone for a while." Tommy clapped a hand on Billy's shoulder, assuring him that they would find his wife. Kahva frowned a bit at the Sapphire Ranger, she was getting those troubled feelings from him again, and now she knew why they felt so familiar: she had them as well. 

"Billy," Kahva spoke up, "What dream did you think you had? It's bothering you, I can tell that just by looking at you, I don't have to sense it from you. Maybe it has something to do with Sheena's disappearance, maybe not." 

"A dream?" Rocky asked. "Isn't that grasping at straws, Kahva?" 

"Absolutely," she agreed. "And I wouldn't even be asking if it wasn't for the fact that I think I had a dream too, and when Billy's call woke me up, I was just as confused as he was when he woke up this morning. _That_, I did sense from you Billy when I walked in here, that when you woke up this morning, you almost expected to be somewhere else. That feeling is still gnawing at you even now." _ And me too, what's going on with us?_ she wondered. "Tommy," she asked, turning to the other male Ranger she now apparently had a link with, "did you wake up from an odd dream too, but you can't quite remember what it was, or where you were in it? I'm trying a gut feeling here." Tommy nodded and answered her. 

"Yeah... I think I might have been dreaming about Eltar." At the surprised looks on Billy and Kahva's faces, he rushed forward with the feeling he had awoken with. "It felt like... this is going to sound crazy, but it felt like I was seeing home, but before it was my home... but it wasn't my house here on Earth, it was the Kilanye farm on Eltar. That's all I remember though. Could it mean something?" All three of them knew without another word that they had all had some kind of half-dream at least, about Eltar, about the Kilanye farm. 

"It might... if Sheena is sleepwalking... and she's dreaming about Eltar," Billy answered. 

"But why would she be dreaming about Eltar? Why would she be dreaming about a place she's only visited once? Correction: twice, we all went there after the funeral," Jason pointed out. 

"We're missing something, there's a piece of the puzzle we don't have yet..." Billy said to no one in particular. "Okay, let's say it isn't coincidence that we," he indicated Tommy, Kahva and himself, "all had at least part of a dream about Eltar this morning. Tommy says he specifically saw the Kilanye farm. As for myself, I just have more of a feeling that I was dreaming about Eltar, but I don't remember anything more than that. Kahva?" 

Kahva sighed, sorting through her thoughts carefully. _I'm missing something, something right in front of us, what is it?_ "Last night, when you got home, and just before I fell asleep myself, I got two sets of feelings from you guys. One was very clearly you, Billy," she said with a glance at him. "The other was from Sheena, but..." 

"But what? You've gotten this from us before, Kahva, when I've kissed Sheena good-night, I don't mind it being said out loud," Billy urged her. "Be specific, it could help us find Sheena, and figure out what's going on." 

"Okay," Kahva replied. "I felt very amorous feelings coming from you for Sheena. That was the first set. The second set I normally get is from Sheena, of course. But last night, they were fuzzy, it was almost as if they weren't from her, but I know they were. Then right before I fell asleep, it felt like I was being cut off from her, but I was so out of it, I was falling asleep right as it was happening. Then this morning when your call woke me up, I felt confused, I expected to be on Eltar for some reason, but I don't know why... but it had something to do with Sheena - no, it had something to do with Kahva Kilanye! Billy, Sheena told me last night before I left that she had the feeling she's been either dreaming or thinking about Kahva Kilanye, her life or something like that for the past several days. She doesn't know when she's been thinking or dreaming about her though, she only knows that she has. She's not sure if she could be dreaming about her life when she's sleepwalking, but could that be what has been going on?" 

"It might be, and with us linked to her, we're starting to pick up on it now," Billy replied, his alarm building. "I don't like the timing of this at all." 

"That's just what I told Sheena last night," the older girl informed him, telling him quickly about their conversation. "She doesn't like the timing either. I'd be willing to bet though that she is dreaming of Kahva Kilanye's life when she's sleepwalking, it makes sense after what we've all felt this morning." 

"But why are you only picking up on it now, and so vaguely?" Tanya asked. 

Billy bit his lip before he answered. "The only guess I have is that maybe her dreams, if that is what is going on here, are becoming clearer and more intense." 

"And the dreams are so real, she's sleepwalking, sort of acting them out in her sleep?" Tommy guessed. "If so, that might be a clue." 

Billy shook his head at that. "She might be acting something out, but how can it give us a clue when she doesn't remember anything? Any luck yet, Alpha?" The little robot shook his head, softly muttering to himself in distress. Sighing, Billy turned back to the others. "The past few days, it's like she's not even herself anymore." 

"Maybe that's the key," Kahva mused, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Billy, see if this sounds logical. If Sheena is acting out something from the past, from Kahva Kilanye's past, could she be acting out Kahva herself?" At the Sapphire Ranger's nod, she continued. "So maybe when that's happening, she really _isn't_ herself, in a manner of speaking, so maybe the way to sense her is to try and sense Kahva Kilanye, not Sheena. Could that work?" 

Billy paced for a few moments as he mulled Kahva's reasoning over. "It's worth a shot, I guess," he shrugged. "You're probably the best one to try it though, since Kahva has actually possessed you before." 

"He's right," Tommy agreed. "I may be her descendant, but my link with Sheena is weaker than yours and Billy's, and I don't have the practice yet." 

"Okay, I'll give it a shot," Kahva said. "Hope this works." 

"It's the best theory we have until we get more clues," Billy urged her. "And Sheena's counting on us, even if she's not herself right now." Kahva nodded and closed her eyes, reaching out for first Sheena one last time, then after failing to pick up on her, she reached out for anything that felt like the first Silver Ranger. She stood stock still, a hand clenched on a nearby console to keep her steady, it seemed. A few seconds later her eyes opened with alarm.

"I just tried reaching for her as if she were Kahva Kilanye, not herself, and I think I found her. She's... getting ready for bed with her husband Dalien at their home: the Kilanye farm. I tried 'talking' to her, trying to get her to realize she's Sheena, not Kahva, but I couldn't get through." Alarms went off throughout the Power Chamber, and a second later, Billy confirmed their worst fears. 

"Cogs have appeared in the park - and the sensors show they are close to their apparent target: Sheena."

* * *

Klank nervously worked at his newest invention, another teleportation scrambler. The Power Rangers had always managed to find a way around or through his past scramblers, but he needed yet another version for his king's plan to work. _No doubt that dottering Alpha-5 will be working on a way to break it as soon as he realizes what is going on, or that infuriating Sapphire Ranger will be. Just once, I would like for him to be brainless!. No matter, they can break through this scrambler's interference too, for all I care. Just as long as they don't break through before it has done the job._

"Klank!" Mondo bellowed from somewhere down the hallway. "Make sure those Cogs don't damage my prize, or I'll have your head!" 

"Yes, sire," Klank sighed. "Same old threats all the time," he muttered under his breath. "But he can and will do it, which is why I will finish this device... now," he stated with satisfaction. "You!" he shouted at the Cog nearest him. "Go to the park, that is where the Silver Ranger is. Grab her, but don't damage her. Take this," he said, placing the device in the soldier's hand, "and as soon as she is your captive, activate it. It will keep the Rangers from stopping you from bringing her here. Contact us as soon as you are ready to come back, the scrambler will prevent us from locking in on you until we receive your signal. Those are your orders, now go!" The Cog stiffly saluted and teleported down to the Earth moments later with its troops. _I'm going to have fun turning your wife evil again, Billy. And this time, she won't be assigned to capture you, she will be coming after you to kill you._

* * *

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha shouted. "There is something blocking teleportation, I can't bring her here!" The Rangers stared at the viewing globe in fear as the Cogs quickly surrounded Sheena and two of them grabbed her. Another had activated some sort of device as soon as Sheena had been within a few feet of them, but they now seemed confused as she refused to fight them. In fact, she seemed to be trying to dance with one of them. Her sleepwalking-influenced behavior was delaying them. 

_Hope she buys us enough time._ "It's morphin' time!" Tommy shouted. Moments later, the Rangers teleported out and were in the park fighting the Cogs. "Sheena, wake up!" Tommy yelled at the top of his lungs. Billy was fiercely fighting his way to his wife, calling out to her frantically. All of the Rangers were yelling for her to wake up, to morph and fight back, but to no avail, she was too deeply lost in her dream. 

"Alpha's almost broken through the interference," Kahva's voice came over Tommy's communicator. "He just needs a few more seconds!" 

"We'll give them to him!" Tommy shouted his promise, punching a Cog who had been trying climb his back. The Red Ranger fell into his _ki-see_ training, rapidly dispatching one Cog after the other, getting closer to his cousin with each toss and punch. He reached for her arm as she turned to look at him, "Wake up, Sheena!" he shouted again. Just as her eyes might have locked onto him, she vanished in a purple, cog-shaped ring with her captors. 

"No!" Billy cried. "We almost had her, no!" His shout rang through the park, coldly empty with the battle over and lost. Tommy went to his old friend and placed his arm about the Sapphire Ranger's shoulders. 

"We'll get her back, I promise you that. Let's get back to the Power Chamber, everybody." _ Please let her wake up soon, there's no telling what Mondo might try while she's still asleep! We're going to get you out Sheena, but please wake up! You have to be able to fight back against Mondo, please wake up, wherever you are!

* * *

Kahva ran up to her best friend's house and knocked, smiling when he opened the door. His eyes widened in surprise; she knew he hadn't expected her. "Kahva? I thought I had heard you were back!" He came outside and hugged her warmly. _

"I missed you!" she smiled as she hugged him back. "I missed everyone! It's so good to see you again!" 

"So, tell me, how was your trip?" he asked. She hoped he liked the two surprises she had in mind for him. 

She smiled and laughed with joy to be home again. "Oh, it was wonderful! I saw so many places and things! I bought something for you, too!" 

"Really?" He looked so happy at that thought. "You didn't have to do that, Kahva, having you back home is present enough for me!" 

She smiled; she liked the way he looked when surprised. "You're so sweet," she laughed lightly as she pulled the tiny statuette out of her pocket. "This is it." 

"What is this?" he examined it carefully. "It isn't an animal I recognize, but it is beautiful, like you." 

Kahva felt so happy; she was home at last! "The artisan I bought it from calls it a 'cheetah'. It's from one of those backwater worlds that haven't made space contact yet." 

He chuckled a bit. "Some of those worlds sound rather quaint. I wonder if we'll ever see any of them." 

She shrugged. "Who knows." A quick glance at the sun told her it was almost time. "Oh, I've got someone who wants to meet you!" 

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "Some of your family in for a visit, or a friend you met on your trip, by any chance?" 

Kahva glanced over her shoulder as Dalien joined them. "Not exactly." As hellos were exchanged between the two, her friend spoke to Dalien with an edge Kahva had never heard before. 

"Kahva has told me much of you," Dalien said. "It's an honor to finally meet her best friend." 

Her friend nodded. "I presume you are some relative of Kahva's?" he asked. Dalien smiled as Kahva took his hand gently. 

"Something like that," he said. "I am Dalien Kilanye." 

"Please congratulate us." Kahva almost froze for a second; something told her that everything was going to change when she made this announcement. "Dalien and I got married." 

Her friend stared, wide-eyed. "You what?" 

"We're married," she repeated, holding out their joined hands to show off the matching wedding bands. Even her parents hadn't been this surprised! 

"Married?" His voice even grew colder, and he no longer would look at Dalien. "You got married on your trip? I thought it was just to see the sights of Eltar." 

Kahva nodded a bit. "It was a little sudden yes, but it was love at first sight," she smiled a little, remembering the way she'd first looked into his eyes. "Dalien picked out that cheetah; he saw it before I did, and showed it to me. When I saw it, I knew it was made for you." 

He shook his head and handed it back to her. "No. It fits you more than me. I hope you enjoy your time together." 

He was about to walk away, when Kahva stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Are you upset about something I've said? If so, I'm terribly sorry," she apologized, hoping to make him feel better. "The day I left, you said you were going to ask me something. What was it?" She hoped that by getting him to talk, she could find out what was wrong and set things right. 

"Yes," he looked almost coldly at her, that had never happened before. "And yes, but it appears I made a mistake by waiting." 

She frowned. "What were you going to ask me?" 

She didn't get a reply she'd expected. "You break my heart, you leave me for a total stranger, then present him to me and expect me to be all smiles and happy? Kahva, I said I waited too long to ask you my question, that should tell you what it was!" 

Her eyes widened in shock. "You're my friend, my best friend, that's all we've ever been!" She'd never had any idea that he felt like that towards her! He gazed straight into her eyes. 

"How can you say that? I've given all of my heart to you, I would have given more if you had not rejected me when we were younger, but still I loved you! How can you stand there and say that to me? I love you, I am the only one who will ever really love you!" He pointed with hate and anger at Dalien. "He will never be able to love you as I always will!" 

Dalien could only stare in shock, he had never imagined something like this would happen when he and Kahva came here! They had thought her friend would be happy for them, and friendly to Dalien. His immediate hatred for Dalien left the young, newlywed farmer speechless. Kahva however, could speak, and did. "I can say it because it is true. We were just friends." 

He shook his head. "You are mistaken. We were always meant to be together, that is why we have been together for so long! If you hadn't left a year ago, you would know that, and you wouldn't have so foolishly married him!" 

Her voice grew stern. "I do not love you. You are my friend, and only my friend. That is all there has ever been, or ever will be between us." 

"So be it!" he snapped. "If you wish to throw away your life on him, then go ahead. But know this, Kahva, that I am the only true love you would have ever had, and the only one you ever will have! I will have you one day, and you will see the error of your choice! And if not you, then I will have one of your descendants. I am a wizard's apprentice, after all, I can extend my lifespan to far beyond that of a normal human. I have all of time to wait, Kahva. And I will." 

A cold chill ran down her spine, but she didn't lose her resolve. "You will never have me or any of my descendants." She watched in horror as her oldest friend became her enemy, and the foe of generations yet unborn. "By all the gods I swear this." 

He almost seemed to smile, and she knew in that moment he had turned forever to the side of evil and dark magic. "You can't stop my love, Kahva, and nothing you can do ever will. You may resist me, but your descendants cannot resist someone they've never met before! I will have one of them, perhaps more, and you can't stop me! Enjoy what time you have left together." 

He left, and this time she didn't stop him. Something within told her that this had just altered the course of history on Eltar, and other worlds, forever.

* * *

Sheena wandered through the park, completely unaware of everything around her, all thoughts fixated on the far-gone past. The memories that dominated her thoughts were those of a young woman in love, not a battle-seasoned warrior. Her eyes flickered for a bare moment as the dreams coursing through her brain shifted, bringing up new images, new memories of a time and place long gone.

* * *

_"Kahva, I love you," Dalien told her, running his hands through her thick masses of hair. "From the first moment we bumped into each other on that street, I loved you." _

She smiled as she kissed him. "It took you that long? I think I was born loving you and just had to wait to meet you!" 

"You say the sweetest things," he smiled as feather-light kisses created a trail of fire down her neck. Kahva moaned in delight, then pulled away as she saw someone coming up the pathway to their farmhouse. 

"Ma'am, is your name Kahva Rhaydra?" the person, who was carrying a package, asked when they were close enough. 

Kahva shook her head. "My name was Kahva Rhaydra, but I'm married now." 

He held out the package. "This is for you; a late wedding present I was told." 

"I wonder who it's from." Dalien paid the man and watched him leave as Kahva unwrapped the strange gift. Inside was a glittering silver bracelet set with twin black onyxes. 

"Oh, it's beautiful!" She slid it onto her left wrist, smiling in delight. "I've got to find out who sent it so I can thank them!" 

Dalien picked up the box and looked inside. "Here's a card," he handed it to her. "Does it say who it's from?" 

Kahva read it, her eyes widening in horror, then glowing with anger and disgust. She crumpled the card up, then jerked the bracelet off her wrist and dropped it to the ground. "I never want to see that thing again!" she hissed. Dalien stared at her. 

"What is it? Who sent it?" 

"HE did!" She didn't have to name him; they both knew who she meant. "The card said, 'You cannot protect all your family forever. Wear this to remember me by, my true love, and know that one day, I will have you or one of your bloodline.'" 

Dalien held her tightly as he stepped on the bracelet, crushing it to powder. "He won't," he promised her. "I won't let it happen." 

"Neither will I," Kahva swore. "No matter what it takes, I will protect my family, all my life and even into my death."

* * *

Sheena wandered to another part of the park, oblivious to the fact she'd unfastened and dropped her communicator in the cool grass behind her. So deeply involved was she in a dream involving Kahva and Dalien Kilanye she didn't notice when the Cogs surrounded her, or when her friends came down to try and help her. She never even noticed when she was dragged through the teleportation circle by the metallic warriors, and could not hear the anguished scream of her husband as she vanished from his sight.

* * *

Mondo watched with evil glee as the Cogs dragged the semi-comatose Silver Ranger into his dungeon. He'd finally caught her outside and alone during one of her sleepwalking sessions and now she was his prisoner again. At a snapped command, the Cogs began chaining her up against the back wall of a cell. Sheena was easily forced down to her knees and her wrists were quickly shackled; the Cogs were puzzled by her lack of resistance. The chains trailing from them were pulled behind her and down slightly, then fastened securely to the cold metal wall, keeping her arms out to either side. Her arms had just enough slack to move a little, she could reach out in front of her if she wished, but she would still be held in a kneeling position: which was exactly what the metal overlord desired. 

"Well now Sheena, how do you like your new home?" Mondo chuckled a little. Sheena's dream-filled eyes didn't change in the slightest at his taunt. "Silver Ranger! I am talking to you, answer me!" The Machine King glared at his majordomo. "Klank, what's wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?" _I can't very well frighten an unconscious human! They can't fear what they aren't aware of!_

"I dinna know, sire!" Klank backed away from his master a bit, not wanting to risk his displeasure yet again for something that wasn't his fault. Sheena reached out a hand, a small smile softening her dreaming features, as at the same time, Mondo leaned closer to her, screaming at her. 

"Wake up, Sheena!" he bellowed, furious she wasn't fully aware of her predicament and cowering in front of him in fear. "I order you to wake up now!" Unexpectedly, her hand delicately touched the side of his face, and she murmured a tender endearment into his ear. "What!" Mondo had no idea what was going on inside her dream-filled mind, but he did not like it one bit! 

Sheena's eyes suddenly flew open completely, the dream-haze shredding like mist. As she saw who was in front of her, she threw herself back as far as she could and screamed fit to shatter her lungs. Mondo nodded to himself, well pleased with her fright. 

"That's more like it!" he declared. "Welcome back to your rightful home, my Ranger. It's about time you woke up. Comfortable, my warrior?" he motioned towards the chains that held her to the wall and kept her kneeling on the floor. 

Sheena glanced around, confused and sickened by the fact she'd caught herself _touching_ her worst enemy! Caressing his face, even! "W... ho... how did I get here?" _I've been captured. But how? Last thing I remember, I was in my own bed at home!_

"You really should do your sleeping in bed, my Silver Ranger," Mondo chided her. "But since a bed seems to be too luxurious for you, I'm sure you'll find the floor in this cell to be much more to your liking. That, and Klank's lab table!" He liked the way she went so completely pale at the mention of the lab. _ I shall not wait any longer, she is to be mine to control!_ "Cogs, take her to the lab at once!" he ordered. He'd wanted a chance to show her new home before having her sent to the lab, now she had finally seen it and had reacted the way he wanted her to: she was terrified! He glared at her as the Cogs pulled her up to her feet. "And Sheena, I'm a married robot. I don't think my dear Queen Machina would like you flirting with me!" he laughed demonically. "Do your tests, Klank! I want the potion to be given to her as soon as possible!" 

Sheena might not have been certain how she got there, but she knew perfectly well she wasn't going to _stay_ there if her friends had anything to do with it! She fought with the Cogs as hard as she could, despite still being chained. "Get your hands off me!" She managed to slam one Cog into a wall before being jerked to the floor by the chains still on her wrists and held by a half dozen of the unfortunate Cog's robotic brethren. She was quite literally dragged kicking and screaming into Klank's lab.

* * *

"Chain her to the table!" Klank ordered, a malicious grin on his semi-movable features. There was nothing he liked more than to hurt humans, this human and her 'soul-sister' in particular. 

"You'd better let me out of here, you metallic scrapheap!" Sheena warned as she strained against the chains with all her might. He laughed a little. 

"Oh, I will," he promised. "After I do a couple of tests here. You're not going to break the hold of this potion, Silver Ranger!" 

Sheena glared at him. "Oh yes I will!" _I swore once I'd never be evil again, and I will NOT break that oath! _

"What's your Earth saying?" Klank thought for a moment. "I think it's, 'dream on', isn't it? Keep dreaming, Sheena! That's how we were able to capture you so easily, you know. Your husband must be so sick with worry!" His eyes glinted with evil glee as he prepared the tests. Now that he was aware of Sheena's Silver Flame power, he'd be able to concoct a potion that even it wouldn't be able to deal with! Klank ignored his lab subject's mutterings as he selected the necessary tool for his first test. 

"My dreams," Sheena sighed, closing her eyes. "My blasted dreams. Kahva Kilanye, if this is your doing, why?" _ I don't even remembering dreaming, but I know must have been, it's the only answer, why is this happening?_ She was distracted when Klank shuffled back over to her. 

"You know, Sheena, I have to thank you in a way," he grated. "When you destroyed my lab after you rescued the child, I couldn't do any work for King Mondo for a while. I actually got a vacation!" he laughed. "And with the repairs, I got such lovely new equipment too! I really hope you don't convert too easily, I want to test out some things on you I didn't get to try out on Kahva. I think you will find them most painful, I hope so anyway. Promise to let me know if they hurt?" he laughed as he returned to his work. 

Sheena growled something nasty in his general direction, then returned her gaze to the ceiling. She sighed a little. _I really hate this place. I don't know if I hated it more that first time or now. Then I didn't know what was going to happen to me. I only knew it was going to be bad. This time, I know what's going to happen if the others don't get me out of here, and 'bad' doesn't describe it! _ She tried to see what Klank was doing, only to find she couldn't move her head enough. _Great, just great. Sweet Goddess, I wish I knew what was going on in my own mind. I don't understand this at all, why am I sleepwalking and zoning out like I have been? Oh, wonderful, here comes the walking toaster again. Somebody, anybody, make him go away!_

Klank stood by her with a needle that was all too familiar to the Silver Ranger. "I'm sure you remember this, my dear," he said unnecessarily. "It's just like the one I used on you almost a year and a half ago. As a matter of fact, it's even more similar to the ones I used on your dear friend Kahva, too! She's probably half out of her mind with worry as well! If she only knew..." 

Sheena did her best to move away from him, hampered as she was by her chains. "Keep that thing away from me!" 

"Now hold still," Klank laughed. "As if you had a choice. It is time for the first step of you retaking your rightful place as my master's slave warrior," he laughed as Sheena jerked away. He held her arm still as he drew out the blood he needed. "My, but you and that child are so scared of needles... I must say, I find your fear rather enjoyable. It's no use fighting, Sheena," he told her. "You belong to King Mondo now, and nothing you can do will keep you from fulfilling your duties. I'll let you wonder about what those might be." Klank shuffled back to his work bench to start the analysis of her blood. 

"If I get lucky," Sheena growled, "one of them will be dismantling you!" 

Klank laughed as he returned to his work, and Sheena turned her gaze back to the ceiling, suddenly very tired. Without even realizing it, she had slid back into the dream-state.

* * *

"Buried deep within us all is a power that waits to be unleashed," Zordon told her. "There are many ways to tap this power, which manifests itself in different forms for every person. This meditation technique should enable you to find your own unique power, Kahva." 

She nodded towards him as he showed her the meditation room. "Thank you, Zordon," was all she said as she settled within it. Ever since the loss of her family three months earlier, she had been plagued by nightmares and visions of their death. Zordon hoped this meditation would soothe her mind and give her access to an inner power she would need in the future. 

Kahva closed her eyes and began the journey within herself. She winced in remembered pain as she once more saw the death of her husband, the burning farm, and felt the pain of the wounds within herself. She watched the scenes over and over, until she could do so without her heart shattering in two. 

As she did so, she felt a strange strength beginning to build up within her. She looked deeper within, deep into the very core of her soul, and was surprised to see something there: a flame. Burning strong and fierce, it seemed somehow to be the very core and essence of purity. She approached it carefully, reaching out to touch it. Instead of burning her, as she had half-thought it would, it felt warm and soothing on her fingertips. 

"What is it?" she wondered. Even as she spoke the question, she knew the answer. She knew what it was capable of doing, though not why. Something tugged at her mind, a desire she barely understood. Kahva smiled a little, and plunged her hands into the flame. 

**The Silver Flame.** The words burned deep into her mind, and she smiled to herself yet again. She had done more than find the inner peace and strength she had sought. She had found the weapon that would aid in the shaping of her destiny. 

* * *

Sheena was jerked out of her dreams as she found herself being unchained from the lab table. Her mind cleared quickly, though she still had no idea of what she'd dreamed of. _Thank you so much, Kahva Kilanye, _she thought dryly as she was dragged by Cogs back to the dungeon. She glanced briefly down at her nightgown and shook her head. _Another one I'm going to have to get rid of. Guess wandering around half the night and spending the Goddess only knows how long chained to that table, plus however long it's going to be until I get rescued just isn't good on the clothing. _ She fought down the 'if I get rescued' thought that threatened to dash her hopes. _I've got to stay positive, I've got to stay calm, I've got to look for a way out... oh Goddess help me, I hate this place!_

She was shoved rather unceremoniously back into the cell, and was once more chained to the wall and forced down on her knees. _Guess this is Mondo's way of feeling superior. He certainly needs all the help he can get._ She looked up to see she was surrounded by roughly forty or so Cogs. _ Oh, this is just WONDERFUL! I can't break these chains even if I morph, and if the team teleports in here, they're heading straight for a trap! _Her heart sank as she saw one Cog activate what appeared to be a forcefield generator. _ Mondo isn't taking any chances this time, looks like._

Sheena took several deep breaths, trying to calm her almost completely shattered nerves. She had a little room in her chains to move, not much, and was able to draw herself up some. Finally, she managed to work her way into a slightly more comfortable sitting position, which did a bit more for her state of mind than the humiliating kneeling. Sheena sighed deeply, eyes on the three rings she wore. _ My friends will come for me_, she told herself over and over. _They will come._

It was going to be a long day, she sensed. A very long day indeed.

* * *

The Rangers arrived back at the Chamber to be greeted by the sight of Alpha and Kahva hunched over the consoles, trying to locate Sheena. "Any luck?" Tommy asked hopefully. His heart fell as Kahva's sad face briefly turned to him in a silent reply. 

RANGERS, Zordon answered for Kahva and Alpha, KING MONDO'S COGS HAVE TAKEN SHEENA TO THE MACHINE SKYBASE, KAHVA AND ALPHA ARE TRYING TO LOCATE HER EXACT POSITION NOW. BUT MONDO HAS PUT UP A FORCEFIELD AROUND THE SKYBASE, WHICH THOUGH OUR SENSORS CAN PENETRATE IT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, WE CANNOT TELEPORT ANYTHING IN OR OUT OF IT. 

"Or anyone," Kahva added softly. Several long minutes dragged on, interrupted only by beeps from the scanners and the sound of anxious bootsteps as Billy paced back and forth across the chamber's floor. "Got her!" Kahva finally shouted. "She's in the lower regions of the Skybase, the dungeons, no doubt. We can't get a precise reading on her though... what the heck was that!" Kahva's voice was filled with worry as she and Alpha worked even more frantically over the controls. 

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha wailed. "Rangers! Mondo has put up another forcefield around the area where we found Sheena's lifesigns. We can't get any kind of reading on her at all now, there's too much interference from the two fields combined!" 

"Why would Mondo put up two fields?" Kat wondered. "He knows we've never broken through his main field before, so why has he put up two fields this time?" 

Billy had pulled off his helmet by now and was going over the readings Kahva and Alpha had been working with. "The second field is much smaller than his main field around the Skybase, and I mean much smaller. It's maybe as big as this chamber, if that big. Correction," he said, after a second check of the scans, "I would say it is only as big as a very small room..." 

"Or cell?" Adam finished for him. 

"Exactly," Billy nodded grimly. "Maybe not even that big, there's too much interference to get a precise size measurement. Mondo doesn't want Sheena to get out of her cell, or us to find a way in, that's for sure. With the two fields up, we can't get a good enough reading to lock down her exact location, and if these readings are any indication, the smaller field is too strong for any of us to break through morphed." 

"But Kahva could get us in easily, right?" Tanya asked. "There's nothing that Mondo has come up with that can block her shifting, it's a simple matter of getting in, finding Sheena, shifting into the smaller forcefield to get her and then shift out. Rescuing Sheena is easy, let's do it!" Tanya knew she was over-simplifying matters, of course, but it would be child's play, so far as they knew, for Kahva to shift in with one or more of them and get Sheena out. The answer seemed obvious. 

"Yes... she could..." Tommy frowned, it was so easy... _too_ easy. "Billy, Kahva, Alpha... check and see if you can pick up on how many Cogs are in or near that smaller forcefield. Minutes later he had the answer he'd been dreading: Cogs were all around that smaller forcefield, far too many for them to fight through for a quick rescue, from what the scans seemed to show. "He's counting on us to shift in there after her, he's laid a trap for us if we try. We can't get in that way." 

"We have to get her out of there Tommy, Mondo's going to try and turn her evil again, he's promised to do just that countless times! We can't leave her there, I won't leave her there!" Billy's voice was anxious, fearful, and hid none of his desire to rush up to the Skybase at that very moment to rescue his wife. Kahva was at his side, her eyes told Tommy she would take either Billy or all of them to the Skybase, no matter what the risk. _There's got to be a way to do this, Billy's right, we can't leave her up there in Mondo's clutches... But if we all shift to that second forcefield, we're practically committing suicide, or worse, handing ourselves over to Mondo to be his slaves as well. That won't help Sheena at all._

"Suggestions?" Tommy asked. Long moments of silence passed as no one had a ready answer other than to go straight in and hope for the best against impossible odds. Tommy tried to figure out the Machine King's evil plan. "Okay, Mondo's expecting us to go in right after her, he has to be. No doubt the first thing he'll do is to try and get Kahva, so that we won't have a way out, and to make us surrender. Kahva, you're not a Ranger, I can't ask you to take a risk like that, Mondo would love to find a way to turn you with your powers intact just as much as he would like to have any of us working for him. It's too dangerous, I can't ask you -" 

"Then don't, because I'm going anyway," she told him. "I'm not looking for a fight, I don't ever want to see the inside of that orbiting, overgrown sardine can again, trust me. But unless there's a miracle, it looks like I'm the only way in or out right now, and I'm not about to leave Sheena up there, not if I can help it." But Tommy could feel the dread coming from her, it matched his own. No matter how hard they fought against all those Cogs, the odds were they would be overpowered before the rescue could be completed. "But I don't know how we can get the element of surprise back, when it's plain Mondo's expecting us." 

"Then maybe we shouldn't go there," Rocky ventured. All eyes turned to the Blue Ranger; all of them thought that Rocky might have taken leave of his senses for the moment! 

"What! 'Not go there'? Surely you aren't suggesting we leave Sheena up there?" Jason asked. 

"Nope," Rocky answered. 

"Then just what exactly are you suggesting?" Tommy inquired. Rocky laid out his plan, and the others quickly agreed, it was their only other option. They spent the next hour and a half laying out every single detail, planning for every contingency they possibly could. It was risky, filled with plenty of opportunities for Mondo to capture any or all of them: and it could go wrong at any moment. _But it just might work.._. Tommy mused. "Can you do it?" he asked Kahva after the plan was mapped out. 

"Yes," she said. If she had any doubts, she was shoving them down firmly. "Sheena needs us." 

Tommy made the decision. "Then let's do it."

* * *

Sheena sat quietly in the forcefield, curled up. Her knees were drawn up to her chin as she rocked back and forth. She was glad Mondo didn't understand human psychology well enough to know how vulnerable she felt with just her thin nightgown on, too. The one thought going ceaselessly through her mind was "What happened?" 

Once again she tried to reach out to Billy or Kahva, even Tommy if she could reach him. But so deep did the fear run in her, it was of no use. "What happened to me?" she muttered to herself for the thousandth time. "One minute I'm at home, sleeping, then I'm here, staring at Mondo's ugly face," she dropped her head a little, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Billy. Kahva... Tommy," she tried one again to touch the minds she knew and loved so much, only to once again fail. She just couldn't calm herself down enough to communicate with them. 

She glanced up briefly. She was still surrounded by Cogs, and saw the faint glitter of the forcefield around her as well. It was so close to her, if her chains were a little longer, she could've touched it, the field was so small. It extended only about four feet in front of her, and maybe barely five feet above her head. Even if she could somehow break her chains, she wouldn't be able to get anywhere near her cell door. She sighed a little, looking back down. _They'd better hurry. I don't know how much longer it'll take Klank to get that new potion mixed up. If he gives me that, I don't know if the Silver Flame can destroy it this time. I don't want to be evil, I don't want to hurt my friends again! _

"Well now, what do we have here?" She looked up to see Mondo and Klank standing just outside the cell. A cold chill ran down her spine as she realized her greatest fears could've come true already. If they were there, then the potion could be too. ..it would all be over. . . 

Klank chuckled a little. "The Silver Ranger, I believe, my liege." 

_I'm not going to let them know I'm afraid. They won't have THAT satisfaction, if nothing else._ Sheena would have stood up if her chains had permitted. "The Rangers are going to get me out of here, Mondo!" 

"Oh, really?" the Machine King laughed at his prisoner. "The forcefield around you isn't the only one I have up, my dear. The Rangers may find where you are, but they won't be able to get in to you, or get you out!" 

Sheena came as close to getting to her feet as she could, glaring with unabashed hatred at this monster that threatened everything she held dear. "I'm going to disassemble you bit by bit, you moronic mass of metal!" 

"You've made that promise before, and you still haven't carried through! I don't think you _can_ kill... not without being evil, or insane, that is!" Mondo sneered. Sheena took a deep breath, she knew well what his intentions were. 

Klank shuffled a bit closer to her. "But you soon _will_ be evil, Silver Ranger! Who would you like to kill first? Your irritating husband or that annoying little friend of yours? 

"I will _never_ be evil again! Never! I'll die before that happens!" she swore with all her heart. Mondo's metallic laughter sounded yet again. It was a sound she had come to hate over the last year and a half. 

"Then it's settled! You will be evil again my dear, because I have no intention of letting you die first! You are my killing machine, and your return to my service is long overdue!" 

Sheena hissed, "I am _not_ a machine, much less a killing machine, even less one for you!" 

"That's why we're here," Klank told her. "To make you what you were meant to be! There's a few more tests I need to run on you, Sheena, just a few more things to make certain you _never_ escape the control of the serum! Oh, it's a serum now, not a potion. The stronger dosage requires direct injection into a human's bloodstream!" 

"Like I wanted to know that," Sheena shuddered even as she wisecracked; _not another session in the lab,_ she thought. That place had figured in her nightmares for months after she'd burned the potion out of herself, and had cropped up again after they had freed Kahva. "Take those tests and shove them up your metallic behind, sideways and sharpened!" 

"Now that isn't being very nice to poor old Klank!" Mondo admonished her. "You should learn to control your temper and behave, Sheena!" 

"And the same goes to you, _tripled!_" she growled. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to run her Silver Sword through him in so many different pieces, the only thing he could be recycled for would be paper clips! 

Mondo sighed. "Now you've gone and hurt my feelings!" He pretended to have emotions very well: for a heartless machine. "I'm offering you the chance to be the greatest warrior in the universe, and you're turning it down flat, I'm very disappointed in you, Sheena!" 

"I'll do more than hurt your feelings once I'm out of here!" she promised. 

"Is that your final word on the matter? You are determined to not be my warrior?" Mondo's eyes glinted cruelly in the dim light of the dungeon. 

The captured Silver Ranger shook inwardly at the implication in his voice. _What is he up to? He can't seriously be contemplating accepting any kind of refusal from me!_ Nonetheless, Sheena nodded, she would not give in to this metallic spawn of evil. "Yes. You are the ultimate scum of creation, and I'd work for a cockroach before I'd even consider _considering_ working for you!" 

"Well then, I suppose I shall have to make my 'offer' to someone else, then. Klank, who would you like to turn evil first, Sheena's husband Billy, or that child Kahva Briton?" 

Sheena would have leapt to her feet and gripped the cell bars if her chains and the forcefield had permitted it. "Keep your slimy mitts off them!" 

"I can't, my hands aren't slimy," Mondo said dryly. "If you will not turn, then they will, I promise you. And Klank will make it a most painful conversion, believe me!" 

Sheena did. 

"I never did get to finish experimenting on the child! Perhaps I'll turn her first, then Billy?" Klank was already gleefully planning things. "Maybe I'll even have them strapped down to tables placed side by side, so they can watch each other helplessly! Oh yes sire, that would be so lovely!" Klank was even clapping his hands happily now, much to Sheena's horror. 

"And of course, you'll not be left out, my dear!" Mondo laughed at the pain evident in her eyes. "You'll get to watch as well, I give you my word!" 

Sheena's green eyes spilled over with tears. "Don't you _dare_ touch them!" _I can't let them be hurt. Not like this, I can't!_ She took a deep, shuddering breath. She knew what she had to do. She'd fought against it for so long, had come close to it months earlier, but now... there was no other way. _Forgive me, Billy, Kahva, Tommy. Everyone. I'm sorry._ "M... Mondo," her voice broke halfway through his name. 

"You have something else to suggest?" Mondo chuckled low and evilly. "You know what I want, Sheena. It's either that, or my Cogs will drag your husband and best friend up here the first moment they step outside of the Power Chamber!" 

Klank looked at his master, darkly pleading. "I didn't bruise the child nearly enough last time, please don't keep me from finishing my work, my liege! I want to cause the girl and the Sapphire Ranger to go through so much pain, please, your Highness!" he begged. 

Sheena closed her eyes; there was no way she could do this and look at Mondo at the same time. "If you leave Billy and Kahva alone, you... can turn me evil... I won't fight you. Just leave them alone." 

"Now that's better," Mondo said approvingly. "Klank, go get your equipment, you have a Ranger to convert for me! And Sheena... you have my word, _I_ won't touch Billy or Kahva!" 

Sheena glared at him, a touch of the fire in her spirit showing through. "If you do, good or evil, I'll take you apart so fast your head will spin!" 

"No, I won't touch a single hair on their heads... because _you_ will kill them for me!" Mondo cackled evilly. "If I can't control them or use them, then I want them dead! You will be their executioner!" 

Klank would've been smiling if he could have fully. "That's so very thoughtful, your Evilness! They will be killed by family, not a total stranger, that is so kind!" He started for his lab as Mondo nodded. 

"I thought so!" Mondo gloated with a grinding laugh. 

Sheena shook her head, eyes blazing with fury. "No! I don't care what you do to me, no matter how evil you make me, I will not kill the people I love!" 

"That's what you think," Mondo reminded her. "I saw what you did in the Lunar Palace two months ago, Sheena. Face it, you're a natural killer: and now you are once again _my_ killing machine!" 

Cold despair gripped the Silver Ranger as she remembered the sheer madness that had engulfed her in the Lunar Palace. _I can't go through that again. I'll lose my mind for certain! _Alarms suddenly sounded everywhere. Mondo glared at his chief servant. "What's that? Klank!" 

Klank ran to a control panel on the wall to check the alert, and immediately regretted what he saw. "It's the Rangers!" 

_The Rangers!_ Hope filled her soul again as she heard that. _They came for me! I knew they would!_

Mondo screamed, "Well, don't just stand there, get the serum and come back down here and give it to her at once! Where are they? How did they get through the forcefield?" 

"They're in the throne room, your worship," Klank sounded puzzled. "I'm not sure how... my liege, the child Kahva Briton is with them! She must have gotten them in!" He quickly ordered reinforcements into the throne room, then headed up the steps and to his lab. _I must get the serum, or King Mondo will have my circuits!_

"Hey Mondo!" Sheena laughed, her hope and courage restored by the arrival of her friends. "That offer I made to be evil: forget it!" 

He glared at her. He had counted on a rescue attempt, had even partially expected for them to use Kahva's shifting ability... _but the throne room? What are they doing, Sheena is down here! It doesn't matter, I shall defeat them no matter where they are, and as soon as Klank gives her the serum, I'll have Sheena attack them! _ "I won't forget it. I never forget a promise, Silver Ranger, quite the contrary: I always collect on them. The Rangers made a mistake, they should've come directly here to get you out, not to my throne room! By the time they fight their way here, you will be _mine_! Your first assignment will be to capture Kahva so they can't escape! Then you will defeat them, starting with the Red and Sapphire Rangers! Those are your orders, my Silver Ranger, prepare to carry them out!" 

As he headed out for the throne room, Sheena shivered. "Never," she swore to herself. "Never again will I serve evil, no matter what." She glanced over to the door, her brow furrowed in sudden thought. "Why _did _they do it like that? Why the throne room, it would make more tactical sense to come straight here, in spite of the Cogs..." Her thoughts trailed off suddenly, and she smiled, realizing what they must have in mind. "And Mondo wonders why he can't beat us!" she laughed to herself. 

She took a deep breath and looked around, a tiny thread of doubt running through her mind. "I _hope_ I'm right. If I'm not, or if they're too slow... the next time I see them. . .," she deliberately forced her thoughts away from that possibility. That wasn't going to happen. She'd die before it did. 

Just like her ancestor.

* * *

"Hello, we're here," Kat called out, her voice echoing in the oddly empty throne room. The Rangers and Kahva had shifted in ready for immediate battle, with Billy and Jason stationed on either side of Kahva, Jason having his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and Tommy positioned in front of her. They knew she would be a target, and they were acting as her shield. All the others had circled themselves around the four, but their precautions seemed to have been unnecessary as there were no Cogs, Klank or Mondo to shield her, or defend themselves from. "Where's our welcoming party?" Kat joked tightly. 

"I must've forgotten to call ahead and make reservations, shall we leave and come back again, to see if we'll get a better greeting?" Kahva inquired in the same tone. Being in the throne room again was bringing up memories she had thought were buried for good. Jason still had a tight hold on her, he could feel her trembling, but he made no comment. He hugged her reassuringly instead, which seemed to calm her a bit. If the others had seen her shaking, they gave no sign. 

Tommy relaxed just a tiny bit after assuring himself that there weren't any Cogs lurking in the shadows. "No, I think we'll just change this from a party crash, to a surprise party." 

"Delivered from us with a vengeance," Billy stated firmly. He scanned the room for a minute, then stopped and pointed to a small door behind the throne. "That seems to be where the energy source Alpha picked up on before we left is located. If it's what we think it is, then we go with 'Plan A', guys." He pulled a small pouch from his belt and silently ran over, Tommy and Adam right on his heels. They readied themselves on either side of the door as Billy yanked it open - but no one was on the other side. "All clear," the Sapphire Ranger breathed. Everyone clustered around Billy as he found what he was looking for, a rectangular-shaped console about a foot wide and deep, and three feet tall. It whirred and creaked painfully, it was hard to believe this rickety machine could be part of what was causing them so much trouble. 

"Is that the master control for the main forcefield?" Tommy asked quietly. 

"Yes, and it's also hooked up to the internal sensors. Destroying this won't keep Mondo from tracking our movements, but it will hinder him quite a bit, at least for a few minutes. It will also take the main forcefield down for a few minutes until the backup controls kick in." Billy paused to pull a small box out of the pouch, it was black with a matte finish, so a stray light couldn't glint off of it and betray its location. The box wasn't much bigger than a ring box, and once he had placed it on the console, it was very hard to detect in the low light of the room. Billy tapped the side of the device and then motioned for everyone to exit the room. "It will go off in ten minutes, and the main field will be disabled. I don't know how long the main field will stay down, so as soon as the console blows, teleport back to the Power Chamber, guys." 

Tommy nodded, then looked around at the still empty throne room. "I can't believe we haven't been 'welcomed' yet." Kahva agreed with him as she slowly wandered about the room. Even though it had been a few months, the throne room still bore scars from her last visit, the ceiling showed several patches from where it had partially collapsed on her and Jason. 

She did her best not to let her voice shake as badly as her knees were, "I know, I can't believe I'm actually _wishing_ to see a Cog, several Cogs, even. This plan won't work if they don't hurry up and find us here. Ten minutes won't last very long." 

Adam moved towards the main hallway, looking for patrols. "Well, we knew that most of his Cogs seemed to be stationed around where the dungeon is, and where Klank's lab was, and the equipment room, right? Mondo wasn't expecting us here, a room that is so far away from the dungeon, which is why we shifted in here. That, and hoping that the power source Alpha detected was the forcefield master control." 

Kahva gave a dry laugh. "I guess I shifted us in too well, then?" 

Tommy headed for the hallway, intending to join Adam before he wandered too far away from the group. "I'm not complaining, it gave us time to set the bomb without anyone finding out. Since that," he pointed at the room they had all exited, "is the master control, when it blows, we've got our way out clear. That saves you a shift, Kahva. Thanks to that and you, we can go with Rocky's first plan. And there's still the backup plan if -" A loud banging noise from the hallway drew their attention to the spot where the Green Ranger had last been seen. 

"Hey tinsel-brain!" they heard Adam's voice ring out from somewhere down the hallway. "We're wrecking the throne room and you can't stop us!" he taunted in a sing-song voice. An energy blast greeted his challenge and lit up the hallway. "Missed me, missed me... and I don't want you to kiss me!" Seconds later Adam ran back into the throne room, grinning under his helmet. "Think I made him mad enough?" 

A blast hit the archway Adam was standing in, sending metal and stone raining down on him. Tommy yanked him out of harm's way as alarms clamored throughout the Skybase. "I think so... 'missed me, missed me'? Adam, you have the strangest sense of humor sometimes." 

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" he answered cheerfully over the alarms. Then his voice turned serious. "Okay Kahva, it's time for you to hide behind the throne until we're ready for phase two." The dark-haired beauty nodded, already rushing to her hiding place. Just as she hid, the throne room started to fill up with Cogs. Tommy waited just long enough for the first of them to see all seven Rangers gathered there, then he screamed out a wild battle cry. Billy, Adam and Tanya all moved to their places near the throne, while the other Rangers moved further out into the room, effectively scattering the Cogs. Well-placed blaster shots from Rocky brought down more of the archway to the main hallway, just enough to slow the Cogs down as they entered so the Rangers wouldn't be completely overwhelmed. 

"Let go of me!" Kahva's voice rang out from behind the throne. Adam dashed around the throne to see a Cog with his arm wrapped around the girl's throat. Before he could act, Kahva pulled out her quarterstaff, extended it, and rammed it into the Cog's stomach, all in one move. Free from his hold, she then held the staff like a baseball bat and leveled a blow at the robot's head, knocking it off cleanly. "There goes the Cogs not knowing I'm here," she groaned, rubbing her throat. Another Cog spotted her then, and managed to call out an alert into a wall panel before Tanya took him out. 

"He just alerted Mondo that you're here too, Kahva," Tanya informed her and Adam. Billy ran over at the news. 

"You okay?" he asked the elder girl. At her nod, Billy looked at his team. "Sounds like we need to move phase two up a bit," he decided. He called into his communicator to Tommy. "They've spotted Kahva, we're going to have to leave a little early." 

Tommy nodded his acknowledgment from across the room, he was wearing the earplug Billy had devised for Kahva and Daniel's rescue so he could hear the progress of the second team without the Cogs hearing their plans on an open communicator. Tommy spared a glance at a tiny timer he was wearing on his wrist and motioned for them to go. "Okay, here we go," Kahva said as soon as Billy, Tanya and Adam insured any Cogs nearby either couldn't see them, or if they did, couldn't make any reports to anyone. A small greyish portal appeared as Kahva held Tanya's hand, and they were gone without a single Cog seeing them leave. 

Tommy spotted the portal out of the corner of his eye and smiled grimly under his helmet. _ Seven minutes before the console blows. Good luck guys._

* * *

"Mondo must love the cold," Kahva muttered as they appeared in the dungeon. The chill was already triggering goosebumps on her bare arms. _Or is it my memories? I remember this part of the dungeon, I remember being dragged through here several times._ "Remind me to at least wear long sleeves on my next visit... not that I want to come here ever again." Tanya and Adam voiced quick, soft assurances, using her same half-joking tone. But Billy remained silent. As Kahva touched his shoulder, she discovered to her surprise that he was shaking. "Billy? You okay?" 

After a moment he turned to look at her. "This is the holding area, where I was held a year and a half ago, where Sheena brought me at Mondo's command... where Kahva Kilanye appeared to me and told me Vile had sent Sheena to another dimension... we know the whole story on that now, we know about Elysia's part in it, how she made sure Sheena would end up where you were... " Billy had to pause as memories flooded back from his imprisonment. _I can't lose her, I can't! We barely got her back to herself the last time Mondo controlled her... I won't lose you Sheena, I won't let Mondo have you!_ The mix of memories and emotions washed over him, engulfing him, and flowed to Kahva clearly, more clearly than anything ever had before from him. _Sheena... Please don't let us be too late, please God, please! _ "I'm sorry, I'm rambling, I..." Billy's voice cracked, he couldn't put his feelings into words. 

He didn't have to. Kahva hugged him, trying to send comfort through the link they had. "We're going to get her out before Mondo gets control of her this time, Billy. We're going to find her... but I need you to help me lock in on her." Billy took a deep breath and nodded, letting his fears and bad memories flow out of him. Together, their minds and hearts searched for Sheena... and both young people staggered from the impact of finding her. _Hang in there, we're coming!_ "Klank's gone after the mind control potion, she's this way," Kahva rushed ahead of the others, Billy right on her heels. She nor Billy had ever felt such fear from Sheena before, it dwarfed their own by far. Less than a minute later they found her, still clad only in her thin, floor-length, sleeveless nightgown, sitting on the cold, hard floor of her cell, shivering from the chill, fear... and the wild thrill of hope at seeing her husband and friends miraculously charging in to rescue her. Kahva could feel Billy's anger swell at the sight of his wife chained to the back wall of the cell, forced to sit on the icy metal floor. "Sheena!" Kahva called out, running over to the cell door. It was then her turn to freeze up as her own memories overwhelmed her. _This is where Daniel and I were... _ Nightmarish images flooded her mind, Kahva gripped the bars tightly to keep herself steady. _No, I can't think about that, I can't, I won't!_ She coldly forced the past out of her mind, the Rangers hadn't seemed to pick up on her hesitation. "Where the keys to the cell?" she asked. 

"Right here," Billy answered. "Move." Kahva obeyed without a second's thought, then turned to see Billy draw out his blaster. "Close your eyes, Sheena," he cautioned, everyone else was far enough away as not to be temporarily blinded by the bright energy blast. A moment later the lock melted under the blaster fire and they could get into the cell, but the forcefield prevented them from getting any closer to her. "Where the forcefield coming from?" Billy asked, looking for its source. 

"On the wall, back behind you, Billy. There's a control panel there," Sheena answered. Her voice was shaking in spite of her efforts to stay calm. "Hurry, Klank's gone to get the mind control potion, he'll be back any minute!" 

Billy turned and spotted the panel immediately. "This requires a code to activate it and deactivate it," he gritted out. 

"Can you figure out the code?" Tanya asked, ready to charge to Sheena's side as soon as the forcefield was down. 

Billy growled as he hit the wall with his fist. "There's too many combinations, and not enough time!" Adam started to go over to his friend to assist in breaking the code, but was stopped cold by a wild howl from the Sapphire Ranger, which was followed by a ferocious, earth-shattering punch leveled directly at the offending panel. Billy was showered by a geyser of sparks for several seconds, then the light show ended with a defeated hiss from the panel, a thin wisp of acrid smoke rising from its remains. 

"I think it's dead, now," Adam said softly, placing a hand on Billy's shoulder. "Feel better?" he asked, without a trace of humor. He had never seen Billy so angry before. 

But Billy's wrath had been spent with the punch, and he was back to his usual calm self. "Yes, except I think I messed up my hand a little," he replied. "That wasn't too smart, was it?" he asked no one in particular. 

Kahva chuckled, her own tension eased as she felt Billy's emotions return to somewhat normal levels; normal for the situation, at least. "No, but effective. The field's down, let's get working on these shackles. Do you know where the keys are, Sheena?" she turned to ask her soul-sister. 

"Klank has them, and I don't want to wait for him to come back to get them," the Silver Ranger answered. Tanya pulled out her own blaster, adjusting the controls to emit a fine beam, motioning for Adam to do the same. 

"We don't need Klank," she assured her friend. "Keep an eye out," she said to Kahva and Billy, continuing on with the rest of their plan. 

Pulling off his helmet, Billy paused just long enough to kiss his wife before taking his post at one end of the hallway. "I love you," he breathed as their lips parted. "We'll be home soon, don't worry," he assured her. Sheena's eyes shone brightly as she whispered an endearment to her husband. She watched as he put his helmet back on and kept guard at one entrance, and Kahva the other, her quarterstaff at the ready. 

Minutes later, an explosion from several levels above drew all eyes to the ceiling. "That should be the main field going down," Billy stated. He checked his timer with a quick glance. "It's been ten minutes already, we've got to hurry." A beep on his communicator in the next moment drew his attention. "Billy here." 

"We're teleporting out, have you found Sheena?" came Tommy's worried voice. He was out of breath a bit, and the sounds of Cogs squealing in the background told them that the other Rangers had their hands full. 

"We've found her, just as soon as we've got her free, we're heading out too," Billy informed the Rangers' second-in-command. "Go ahead and go Tommy, don't wait for us. If Mondo blocks teleportation again, Kahva can shift us out." They could all hear Tommy give the command to Jason, Rocky and Kat, seconds later their friends were teleporting out to the Power Chamber as planned. Billy cast a reassuring look at Sheena from under his helmet, sending all his love and comfort to her through their link. "Soon it's going to be our turn to leave, don't worry," he told her. 

"I'm not worried," she lied a little. Sheena knew they would get her out in time... at least she hoped they could. _These shackles are even stronger than I thought, it's taking so long for Adam and Tanya to burn through them with their blasters. _ She forced herself to breathe normally, to stay calm, having only a small amount of success. The mere thought of being under the influence of the mind control potion was enough to nearly send her into a fit of sheer panic and terror. _ They're going to get me out, they're going to get me out, keep it together girl, they won't let Klank give you the potion, you've got to stay calm. Stay calm... stay calm... _Sheena shook herself mentally, chiding, _You're the leader of the Power Rangers, for Pete's sake, get a grip!_ Soon Tanya had one of her wrists freed, then Adam shortly had her other one released from its shackle. "Thanks guys," she murmured gratefully, standing up with their assistance. "Ouch, major case of pins and needles here," Sheena groaned slightly as she moved her legs, trying to get the feeling and circulation going back into them. _At least my voice isn't shaking as much as my nerves anymore, thank Goddess!_

"We can take care of that back at the Power Chamber," Billy said, starting to move over to her. He didn't see the movement in the shadows just behind him. 

But Kahva did. "Billy, behind you!" she screamed, just before a metal hand grabbed her from behind. "Let go!" she yelled, striking blindly with her staff. She succeeded in knocking away the one Cog, only to face five more rushing at her, and several more behind them. "We've got company!" she warned over her shoulder. She tried to move to the others, but more Cogs had come in through the entrance Billy had been guarding, effectively cutting her and the Sapphire Ranger off from Adam, Tanya and Sheena. 

"Alpha, teleport us out now!" Adam shouted into his communicator, fighting off Cogs at the same time. "We're under attack!" 

"Teleporting n-" was all they heard before a familiar tug pulled at them all too briefly. Adam tried to raise the Power Chamber again, but it was no use. They all knew what it meant: Mondo's forcefield was up again, and their only way out was for Kahva to shift them. 

"Kahva, we need you!" Sheena yelled, forcing her arms and legs into action against their attackers. The Cogs had already surrounded the girl, and Sheena's heart seized up as she realized it was only a matter of time before her soul-sister would be captured, and her friends and husband wouldn't be far behind unless they could pull off a miracle. _This is all my fault, if I hadn't slept-walked, they wouldn't be here, none of us would, sweet Goddess help us!_ Sheena tried to call upon her power, but her panic was too great, she couldn't concentrate long enough to morph. _Alpha, Zordon, somebody break through that field and get us out of here, please!_

"Dinna let them get away!" floated down the corridor, a command voiced with a horrid Scottish accent that sent chills flying uncontrollably up and down Sheena's spine. Her blood froze at his next order. "Capture the child, she is their only way out!" With that, Klank shuffled into the room, a long, nasty needle glinting in his cold hands, an all too familiar sickly-green fluid seeming to glow inside of it. _Not that, not that, not that! _ran through Sheena's mind over and over as the growing number of Cogs encircled Billy, cut Tanya and Adam off from Sheena, and after knocking away her quarterstaff, a full half-dozen made Kahva their first prisoner. 

Sheena was all alone, defenseless, and an easy second catch in her panicked state. Klank chuckled with a harsh, metallic grinding sound as he confidently strode over to his intended victim. "Hold her arms out!" he commanded the five Cogs who held her firmly. "It is time for our King Mondo's Silver Ranger to return to her rightful service as his master warrior! Watch, power wimps!" he taunted the Rangers, who were still fighting the Cogs that were keeping them from Sheena, "and say good-bye to your leader!" 

"Leave her alone!" Billy and Kahva both yelled. "You're not going to get away with this!" Kahva warned hoarsely. One of the Cogs had wrapped its arm around her throat tightly, and was nearly strangling her. Sheena's eyes threatened to fill with tears at the sound of her old friend's promise. _Mondo is going to order me to kill her, then Billy, then who know what he'll make me do to Tanya and Adam and the others... Mother Goddess, I can't live like that, I can't kill the ones I love! Please help me, somebody please help me!_

Breath that reeked of oil and grease blew into Sheena's face, drawing her full attention to Klank and his potion. "You might as well relax and accept your destiny, Sheena. It will hurt much less that way." Klank cast his gaze over the scene in the dungeon. Sheena was being held right in front of him, Kahva was securely imprisoned in the grip of four Cogs, her quarterstaff nowhere in sight. Billy was still trying to fight his way through a dozen Cogs, and just over that number had surrounded the Green and Yellow Rangers, keeping them from coming to anyone's rescue. It was a pleasant sight indeed. "Now then, I think I shall inject the potion... here," he said, selecting a spot on Sheena's left arm. 

"No!" Tanya screamed. _We can't let this happen, not again! What?_ Tanya nearly lost her balance as her boot came down on something rounded. _Kahva's quarterstaff..._ A desperate plan formed as she scooped up the weapon, twisting it so it would collapse. Breaking free from the Cogs surrounding her and Adam, Tanya shut everything else out and focused in on a single goal. 

The next seconds seemed to stretch into infinity as the Yellow Ranger took a precise, careful aim, then hurled the compacted metal staff at its target: the needle in Klank's hand. Sheena could feel the cold, thick, rounded metal tip of the needle press against her flesh, could feel its downward path, wanting to close her eyes so she wouldn't see it actually break her skin, but unable to pull her horrified gaze away... then suddenly the staff was there, and the needle flew across the room, shattering as it smashed into a wall, the sinister potion flowing onto the floor. _YES!_ was all that ran through her mind as time seemed to return to normal. Klank howled, outraged as he tried to salvage some of the potion. The metallic screeching of Cogs soon blended with his wails as Tanya kicked and punched away the Cogs holding Sheena prisoner. Billy let out a victorious shout and broke away from the Cogs around him, rapidly dispatching the unfortunate soldiers that stood between him and Adam. Adam rushed over to help Tanya get rid of the Cogs that remained around her and Sheena, while Billy dashed over to Kahva, kicking away one of the Cogs holding her. Kahva then ran backwards into the wall behind her, slipping free of the hold two of the Cogs had on her, to forcefully slam the one who had his arm around her neck into the wall. Completely free now, she used a _ki-see_ move on the two she had just escaped from, clearing her path to her friends. 

"Kahva!" Tanya yelled, seeing more Cogs spilling into the room behind the brunette. The Yellow Ranger extended the quarterstaff, ready to fend off any Cogs who came near Sheena, while Billy and Adam extended their hands to Kahva, pulling her to them. Finally all together, Kahva gripped Adam's arm tightly as they all held onto each other, then she opened the portal to send them back to the Power Chamber. Tanya had the last view of the dungeon, and saw a satisfying scene: nearly three dozen Cogs were lying scattered all about the floor, more than that were running in, tripping over their fallen comrades. Klank was cursing the loss of his serum... and as the room blurred, she could see Mondo lumbering into the dungeon, spewing oil, smoke and sparks as he realized he'd been tricked: and robbed of a prisoner yet again.

* * *

"Where are they?" Jason paced back and forth in the Power Chamber, his worry evident with every step he took. Mondo had put a teleportation barrier up almost at the exact moment Alpha had tried to teleport the other half of the team out. Their only way out was Kahva, and if anything had happened to her... he clamped down on in his fears, they were going to be all right, all of them! _Come on guys, you've all got to be all right, you've got to be! _ The Gold Ranger took small comfort in the fact that the others waiting with him weren't any less worried... a very small comfort. 

Tommy helplessly glanced from the viewing globe to the computer consoles, wishing he knew half as much as Billy did about them, maybe he could break the barrier then. What do I do? _The plan went the best possible way we could've hoped for, we were able to take out the main forcefield temporarily, saving the time it would've taken for Kahva to shift them back to us, then shift all nine of us out of there, they were able to find Sheena quickly, she hadn't been given the mind control serum yet... Or had she?_ The possibility that Sheena could've been left purposefully in the dungeon to capture the rescue team, or worse, turned his stomach. Tommy felt the blood drain from his face at that thought. A second later, Kat's comforting arms were wrapped around him, soothing words being whispered in his ear. Don't invite more trouble, he told himself. _Stay calm, if Sheena had been under the control of a serum, Mondo would be gloating by now, or you would've felt it, you do have a link of sorts with her, don't you? Kahva is going to shift them out of there, they will have Sheena, it's going to be all right... _ He sat up suddenly as a familiar grayish portal opened in the middle of the room. Out of it appeared Kahva, Billy, Tanya, Adam, and... "Sheena!" He had never been so happy to see his cousin! _Oh thank God!_ was all he could think as he caught her up in a joyous bear hug. 

For a few moments, everything in the Power Chamber was a complete madhouse as they crowded around the rescue team, congratulating everyone. Sheena, who was still having a little bit of trouble standing, made her way over to Tanya and wrapped the Yellow Ranger in a powerful hug. "Thanks," she breathed. "I owe you my freedom, Tanya. That was an awesome throw you made!" 

"You're welcome," the younger woman smiled. "That serum's shade of green just does not go with silver very well, there was no way I could let Klank put it in you." Adam gave his thanks to Tanya in the form of a kiss that rivaled some of Billy and Sheena's, but everyone was far too happy and relieved to tease anyone about such shows of affection. 

Finally, Rocky cleared his throat to grab the group's attention. "Would someone like to tell us just what happened there?" he wondered. Before anyone could start speaking, however, Alpha stepped up. 

"Not until I've checked Sheena out to make sure she's all right," the little droid insisted with a gentle authority. Sheena leaned against a console, letting Alpha scan her, and trying to work the kinks out of her legs. In the calm after the happy storm of reunion, Billy, Tommy and Kahva exchanged anxious glances, trying to decide just who should broach the subject first. 

Kahva found her voice first. "Sheena," she spoke quietly. "We think we might know what's been happening to you. It's just a theory, but we think it might explain everything." 

The Silver Ranger looked over at her soul-sister. "What is it?" She was thankful her voice didn't betray the nervousness and fear she still felt, that she knew she'd be feeling for a long time to come. _I came so close today. If it weren't for Tanya, I'd be killing my friends now, instead of having them help me. I have to find out what's going on inside my own mind, and any theory they have is bound to help! At least I hope it will..._

"We think that when you sleepwalk or zone out, you're sort of reliving parts of Kahva Kilanye's life," Billy explained. "You have her memories in you, and somehow they're dictating your dreams, and causing the sleepwalking and zone outs." 

Sheena almost said something, then closed her eyes and thought carefully for a few moments, doing what she could to remember the dreams. Finally, she shook her head in defeat. "I don't know. I can't remember anything about them, I just know that I am dreaming something. It could be about my ancestor, I just don't know." Sheena sighed, "All I have for sure is a feeling that I've been dreaming or thinking about her in my dreams, but that's it, just a feeling. I wish I knew if it was right or not." 

Alpha finished up his scans and gave his report just then. "You're in your usual great health Sheena, except you need to rest, and a shower wouldn't hurt anything, either!" The Rangers chuckled a bit at that, and Sheena nodded, coming completely to her feet. 

"And that's what I'm going to do! I'm going to go home, take a shower, sleep, and deal with my dreams tomorrow!" she decided. Billy put a quick and careful hand on her shoulder. 

"That might not be for the best, Sheena," he told her gently. "Mondo's going to be very upset with us for rescuing you, and you know he's sure to have every resource he has ready to grab you again the first chance he gets." 

Her eyes narrowed, flashing with a sudden anger. _Surely he can't mean... _ "That's a fact of life Billy, you guys were dealing with that long before I got here. Are you going to tell me I can't even go to our own home now?" _ I can't believe this, he's serious! _ Sheena didn't even try to hide her thoughts or feelings from Billy or Kahva, and even Tommy felt her ire. But her cousin and sister only looked at Billy in response to Sheena's emotions. 

_Ooops! _Billy thought briefly. _Tread carefully here..._ Then ever so gently, he continued, "For now, yes. It's not just Mondo, either. We have to figure a way to stop those memories from overwhelming you and causing your sleepwalking and zone outs. You're vulnerable to Mondo until they stop, you know that, sweetheart." He winced as he felt the flare-up of fear in her again. 

"We're just trying to help you," Tommy put in his own opinion. "All we want is for you to be safe." 

"It's only until we stop those memories and dreams," Kahva whispered, knowing Sheena would hear her. "Hopefully it won't take long." The three people closest to the Silver Ranger had made their stand, now it was up to Sheena. She knew they wouldn't keep her against her will, but they felt so strongly about this, she could feel their emotions so clearly... _I don't want to cower away from Mondo, but I am vulnerable if I sleepwalk, what do I do?_

Sheena said nothing for a few minutes, turning her green gaze on each of them. In each face she found the same things: concern, care, love, worry. It was the love that got to her most of all. _Sweet Goddess, how did I luck out in finding all these people who care so much about me?_ Finally she sighed. "All right, I'll stay here at the Power Chamber. But I still need that shower, and some real clothes! Or is that too dangerous?" There was a mocking lilt to her voice as she pinned Billy with a glance. Billy cocked an eyebrow at Tanya, Kat and Kahva, who were already teleporting away to the cabin to get a few of Sheena's things. 

"No, I think we can arrange for that!" the Sapphire Ranger grinned a bit as he stepped over to Sheena and held her close to him. Only she heard what he whispered thickly into her ear. "I came so close to losing you today Sheena, I don't ever want that to happen again. Ever!" 

"Me neither," she replied, leaning against him. "Oh, Goddess, I love you so much, Billy. I couldn't stand hurting you. I'd die first." She turned her face up to him, their lips meeting in a sweet and passionate kiss. No matter what Mondo tried, Sheena knew in her heart that her friends and her love would always be with her, to help her, as she helped them. _Take that, Mondo! The Silver Ranger is free, and will be forever!_

* * *

Mondo glared at the space occupied only minutes earlier by his Silver Ranger. "How dare those Rangers rescue her!" he bellowed. "How dare you let them get away, Klank! Why didn't you simply knock the child out, then the Silver Ranger would've been mine, the whole world would have been _mine_! This is all your fault, they escaped and you did nothing but stand there and let them!" 

"I'm sorry, Yer Majesty, I won't let it happen again!" Klank cowered away, fearing for his very existence. In all the centuries he'd served the Machine Empire, he'd never seen Mondo so angry! Then again, they'd never been quite so close to having everything the Machine King had wanted, only to have it all torn away from them. _All I needed was a fraction of a second more, just a fraction! A mere millisecond! Curse you, Yellow Ranger! I will have revenge for this, against you, and all of the Rangers! _ "I beg yer forgiveness, milord!" _Please don't let him have me recycled, please! This wasn't my fault!_

"Oh shut up, Klank!" Mondo growled. "I've heard enough of your whining for one day! Get out of my sight!" 

Klank didn't bother waiting around for anything else to be said, he simply fled as fast as he could. Mondo lumbered back to his throne room, where he could see the Earth, and glared at it with all the hate in his mechanical form. "Rest while you can, Sheena... because the very next chance I get, you will be mine, _forever_."

* * *

He listened to the muffled sounds of the Machine King raging in his throne room with great satisfaction. He had been about to try to rescue Sheena himself when the alarms had clamored throughout the Skybase. Several minutes later, he heard the news he'd been hoping for: the Power Rangers and their friend, who he had only heard disparagingly referred to as 'child' so far, had freed his beloved Silver Ranger at the last possible moment. _Saves me from having to risk my plans, if she had seen me here, rescuing her, she might have guessed that I'm not her friend. Most likely she wouldn't have, she would have been too grateful, but later... Later, there would have been questions, and she might have guessed the truth before I'm ready to claim her._ His cold eyes narrowed in the shadows as he mulled over what little he'd been able to hear._ She's still in the memories, the cycle hasn't ended yet. Oh Kahva, how it must frustrate you to know that you can't come to her now, that the spell I've placed on Sheena prevents you from appearing to her until it ends! And even if you could, there's another spell, one placed long ago, that keeps you from telling her or anyone about me anyway, unless Sheena learns who I am. I intend for her never to find out the truth, believe me. You're just a helpless spirit, unable to do a single thing... Kahva Kilanye, you should have accepted my love long ago, now your heir will pay the price of your foolishness._

He pulled himself further into the shadows, one thing still bothered him. He was certain he'd felt power, old power coming from the mysterious girl who was the Ranger's friend back in the park, and he'd felt that same power here again in the Skybase. _Who are you, 'child'? _he wondered yet again. _It doesn't matter, there's nothing you or anyone can do to keep me from claiming the woman I desire..._ He chuckled darkly to himself as he teleported himself away with a slight flexing of his magic. _No, nothing at all..._

* * *

"How's your hand, Billy?" Kahva asked while they waited for Sheena to come out of Kahva's quarters. It had been decided to put a spare cot in there so that Kahva could be right with Sheena at night, in case the Silver Ranger slept-walked again. Jason and Rocky were setting up another room for all of them to take turns staying in to help keep watch over their friend. Adam finished scanning Billy's hand at that moment and answered for the Sapphire Ranger. 

"It'll be fine by morning, it's a good thing he punched out that panel while morphed, instead of powered down. He could've broken his hand, otherwise. As it is, he's only jammed it up a bit." Adam chuckled a bit and clapped a hand on Billy's shoulder. "You could have just blasted the thing, you know." 

"I know," Billy admitted ruefully, then grinned. "But punching the thing felt so good!" Billy hugged Kahva then, "Good work up there girl! I don't think the Cogs have realized you're becoming a better fighter yet, or that you can shift more quickly now." Billy looked at her with a bit of concern, studying her face. "Any headache from the quick shifting?" 

"Not this time," she assured him. She was a bit surprised that she didn't have a headache, but over the few months she had been in this dimension, she had gotten stronger, slowly but surely, and shifting didn't tire her out as much as it had at the beginning. Tommy had been worried she wouldn't have been able to shift the second team back to the first if they hadn't been able to take out the main forcefield, _and _then immediately shift all nine of them back to the Power Chamber. _ Glad our first plan worked, we didn't have to find out the answer to that question this time. But I don't have a headache at all, I'm not too tired... I could've done it if I had to. I actually could have done it! _ Knowing that, and feeling that for once she wouldn't have been a burden to the Rangers, but a help, made her feel much better about herself than she had in quite some time. But as Jason came over to congratulate her as well, that good feeling rushed out of her. _If only I could set things right between Emily and Jason just as well. _She shoved any bad thoughts and feelings out of her mind before Sheena and Billy, or possibly even Tommy could pick up on them. Jason and Rocky came in to announce that the second set of quarters had been set up, joining in the continuing minor celebration. 

The overall good mood in the Power Chamber continued until Tanya rushed in, "Where's Sheena?" Seven pairs of eyes locked in on the Yellow Ranger, all conversation instantly silenced. 

"She isn't still getting a shower?" Kahva asked. _Please, not another zone out, not so soon!_

"She had just finished and I heard her getting dressed. She asked me to throw away her nightgown that was ruined at the Skybase, and when I came back, the door to your bathroom was open, and Sheena wasn't in there. I've checked the infirmary, the workout room, where is she?" Tanya fought hard to keep from panicking, but as the young people looked at each other, they knew they all shared the same fear: Sheena was sleep-walking again. 

"I'll check the Holding Bay," Adam called over his shoulder. Rocky rushed off to check the lower levels, Kat and Tanya ran to check the private quarters. In seconds, everyone had scattered throughout the Power Chamber, trying desperately to find Sheena. 

Fifteen minutes later, Kat ran back into the main chamber, thinking she had seen a flash of Sheena's long hair disappearing around a corner... to find that she had seen Kahva instead. "Any luck?" she asked the older girl. 

"Not yet," she replied before dashing over to Alpha. "Don't tell me the internal sensors still can't pick her up!" she pleaded. 

"Ai-yi-yi, Kahva! She's moving so fast through the Power Chamber, it seems I'm just a few seconds behind her each time I pick her up," the little robot wailed. 

"It's not your fault," Billy called out as he ran in from another entrance. "Our internal sensors were never designed to track one of us moving so quickly in here, only intruders, and our defenses are so strong -" 

"We never thought we'd really need them. Looks like you've got a new project Billy, once we get our current problem solved," Tommy chimed in from behind Kat. "I checked all the upper levels, I couldn't find her either. 

"I thought I had seen her, but I had spotted Kahva instead," Kat said. "Where could Sheena be?" 

"Maybe we need to think like Kahva Kilanye here," Kahva suggested. "If Sheena is reliving her past in her mind, then let's put ourselves there too. Kahva was the leader of the first Rangers, and they were fighting to free Eltar from Vile's tyranny. So she'd be what, checking on any reports they might have been getting in, maybe planning out their next move?" she guessed. 

"There you are!" came a voice they had been wanting to hear for the past several minutes. "I've been looking all over for you." 

"Sheena!" Billy nearly shouted, running to hug his wife. 

He never got the chance though. "Silias, I've been looking all over the Command Center for you, have you been able to get any information on Vile's troop movements yet?" 

"What?" was his befuddled reply. Sheena seemed not to notice as her gaze rested on Kat. 

"Shada, have you been able to find out anything from the last village Vile plundered?" Kat couldn't even try to reply as the Silver Ranger's eyes rested on Tommy. "Tilrak? Til, why are you here, it's too dangerous for you to be on Eltar right now, you know that! You should be on Edenoi, where it's safe. Zordon, why did you bring him here now?" 

YOU ARE SHEENA CRANSTON, NOT KAHVA KILANYE, AND THAT IS TOMMY OLIVER, YOUR COUSIN, NOT TILRAK KILANYE, Zordon answered, trying to break through to her. But Sheena seemed not to hear him, either. 

"Tilrak being here, he shouldn't be here, it's too dangerous," she muttered to herself over and over, not looking at any of them now. "Wait a minute, Tilrak here? That's not right, he isn't supposed to be here now, not yet, something's wrong..." Kahva caught the confused look on her soul-sister's face and rushed to her, clasping her arms. 

"Sheena wake up, you're sleepwalking, or whatever, again! Wake up!" she pleaded, hoping her voice could break through where the others hadn't been able to. The other Rangers all ran in at that point, having been alerted by Alpha and Billy. Sheena looked at them as if to say something, then turned back to Kahva in confusion. 

"Elysia? No, you're dead, you can't be here, you can't, Zordon told me how you died, he didn't tell the others, but he told me... You're dead, you're dead..." her voice trailed off, unsure. 

"Sheena, I'm _Kahva_, not Elysia, you're _Sheena Devereaux Cranston_, wake up!" she shouted, keeping a firm grip on the girl's arms. Long seconds passed as Sheena's eyes gradually cleared, then locked onto Kahva's. 

"What... what's going on - Kahva, ease up on my arms, will you? I'm not going to fall or anything... I don't think." Kahva did as requested, but still held her sister's arms. "I was drying my hair, how did I get in here?" 

"You don't remember anything?" Kahva asked. At the shake of Sheena's head, she told her what had just transpired in the main chamber. "You seemed to snap out of it when you thought I was Elysia. But I think it started when you called Tommy 'Tilrak', it was like you started to realize he shouldn't be here, there, wherever your mind was." 

Sheena rubbed her temples, her head hurt so much from just trying to remember anything, no matter how small... but she couldn't, and ended up leaning on Kahva for support. "All I remember is asking Tanya to throw away that nightgown, then after I got dressed, I started to dry my hair... Sweet Goddess, what is happening to me?" After a few minutes, Sheena's nerves were settled enough that she would allow Kahva to lead her back to their now-shared quarters to finish drying her hair. As Billy watched his shaken wife and Kahva leave, he sighed and slowly sank to the floor, leaning his back against a console podium. 

"What am I going to do if we can't stop this? What is going to happen to my wife?" 

No one, not even Zordon, could give him an answer.

* * *

"I wish I knew something else we could try, Billy. If only we could find out what triggered these dreams, then we'd be that much closer to a solution," Kahva said, rubbing her eyes. The past two nights had been rough for everyone, but especially for her, simply because of being in the same room with Sheena. Though she thought she was hiding it from the others, Billy knew from the surveillance camera that had been temporarily set up in her room, Kahva had only gotten perhaps a couple of hours of sleep each night... and Sheena hadn't gotten much more, what with her zone outs and sleepwalking occurring much more often, and each time the incident was a little more intense. Yawning, Kahva stiffly got up and started back for her room. "I'm going back, we've almost got these things timed now, she should be zoning out again within the next two hours." He tried to stop her, but found his movements dulled from a lack of sleep as well. 

Tommy was in better shape though, even if not by much. Catching her arm, he stopped her from leaving the main chamber. "No you're not, not just yet, anyway. You haven't eaten anything all day, and neither have you, Billy," he stated, nailing both of them with an authoritative look. "I also know, as well as I'm sure Billy does, that you've hardly slept the past two nights, and you," he pointed a finger at Billy, "should know that you can't think clearly if you're only getting about four hours of sleep a night yourself." Of the four of them, he'd probably had the most sleep... barely. "I know better than to try and run either of you to bed right now, though," he admitted, stifling a yawn of his own. 

"You're not going to order us to bed, or sedate us?" Billy half-joked. 

Tommy gave a dry laugh. "I know better than that. No, my vote is a quick hop out for take-out from Ernie's. Bring it straight back here, the four of us will eat, then whenever Sheena zones out again, we go at it again. But no matter what we do, you two are going to eat something whether you like it or not." 

"What about Sheena?" Kahva asked. Footsteps down the hallway kept Tommy from answering, though. 

"What about me?" Sheena asked. "What's going on?" Before Tommy could answer, Sheena went over to Alpha. "I need to go out for a while, Alpha, how about -" 

"Whoa there, 'go out'? Where are we going?" Billy asked. 

"Not 'we', me, Billy. I want to go for a walk... alone. I just need some air, and I'll only be gone for a few minutes, so don't worry about it. Alpha -" 

"Sheena," Tommy stepped over to his cousin, saving Billy from the reaction he knew she was going to have from what they had decided on two days ago. _She's not going to like this, but it's for her own safety... _ "Sheena, that's not a good idea right now." He could feel the muscles in her arm tighten as he laid a protective hand on her. "If you want to go somewhere, it needs to be with one of us." 

"It's only for a few minutes, Tommy! You act like I'm a moving target or something. Five minutes outside alone is not going to kill me." Her voice had become tighter with each word, and wasn't inviting challenge. 

Tommy wasn't going to back down however, steeling himself for something he had hoped he wouldn't ever have to do to any Ranger, much less his own cousin. "You _are_ a moving target Sheena, as long as you're zoning out, you are a target, and you know that. If you want to go outside, you have to take at least one of us with you." 

"Or else what?" 

"Or else you don't go. It's for your own safety, you know that. Please Sheena, either stay here, or let one of us go with you." 

"For your own safety, for your own safety... I am sick of those words! I want out, and I want out alone, Tommy, I want to get some air alone! I'm going, whether you like it or not, I'm only going to be gone for a few minutes. Alpha -" 

"No!" Tommy shouted with a bit more volume than he had intended. _Heaven help me, I never thought I'd have to do this, but she's not thinking straight!_ "Silver Ranger, as of right now you are relieved of command, and as second in command, I'm temporarily taking over the Rangers. You are ordered to remain here in the Power Chamber, unless you are willing to let at least one of us go with you, until we can stop your zoning out." Sheena opened her mouth to protest, but Tommy cut her off. "That's final, Sheena. If it were me, or any of the others, you'd do the same thing, and you know it. Until we can stop or control your zone outs, you are in danger from Mondo, and possibly from your own actions." He braced himself for an argument, but instead, Sheena angrily turned on her heel and headed back the way she'd come. "Where are you going?" 

"Nowhere!" she shouted. "If the wardens care to let me have recess, I'll be taking a nap in my cell! The matron knows where it is." 

Kahva fought back a sob, a physical blow couldn't have hurt her worse. _She didn't mean it, she didn't, she's just stressed... don't cry, Sheena's the one with the hard time right now, you have no right to feel hurt, you can't cry, Kahva! _ She kept her arms tightly folded though, to hide her clenched hand, to hide her fingernails pressing into her palms to keep from crying. Billy started to run after his wife, but Kahva shook her head. "Don't. Sheena isn't going to listen to any of us right now, not until she calms down a little. Tommy," she looked at the now-current leader of the Rangers, "did you have to do it like that?" she asked softly. 

"I didn't want to... but she didn't leave me any choice, did she?" Tommy hugged both his friends, then hastily typed in a note on a console, where Sheena would be sure to find it if she came back into the main chamber before they returned. "Come on, let's go get that food and bring it back here." _ Which has now turned into a peace offering. I hope you'll forgive me when this is all over, Sheena. I didn't want to do this, but we can't risk losing you. You mean too much to all of us.

* * *

I did not come here for this, why me and why now?_ Jason shook his head tiredly, Emily was refusing to listen to anything he said, and what little she would listen to, she was twisting to suit her own purposes. "I've only been trying to help Kahva, Tommy and Billy help Sheena stop her sleepwalking, that's all, Emily!" Jason explained yet again. "We all have, it's not just me -" 

"Yeah, right. You're just doing it to spend more time with Kahva, you're using Billy's wife as just an excuse! Why don't you just go ahead and start dating Kahva, or have you started that already?" Emily accused angrily. Billy, Tommy and Kahva walked up just in time to hear that last part, and while Tommy made sure Kahva didn't immediately bolt from the Juice Bar, Billy moved to defend Jason. 

But Jason had had enough of Emily's baseless accusations. "Look, I've never complained about how much time you spend with your friends, I've never accused you of seeing someone behind my back! I've trusted you completely ever since we started seeing each other, but you've been jealous of my friends from the very beginning, long before Kahva, or even Sheena moved to Angel Grove! If there's a problem here, it's yours, not mine! I love you Emily, but I love my friends too; I don't know why that's so hard for you to understand and accept. I won't sacrifice any of my friendships just because you can't handle me having people I care about just as much as you." Jason couldn't look at his girlfriend anymore by then. "If you've ever really loved me, you'll have to take me as I am." Emily simply stared at Jason in open-mouthed shock, then ran out of the Juice Bar. Only then did Jason realize he'd had an audience as Billy laid a hand on his shoulder. 

"You okay, Jase?" he asked cautiously. 

"Yeah... no... maybe, I don't know. It's been something that's been coming for a long time. I guess I'd better go after her. You guys taking a break?" 

"Yeah," Billy answered. "Two days straight of trying to link with Sheena while she's zoned, and nothing. We're only going to be here for a few minutes though, just long enough to get some take-out, and then we're heading back in. Are you sure you're okay?" 

Jason slowly nodded as he started to leave. He could see the worry on all their faces, worry for him, worry for Sheena... _What aren't they saying? Something's happened, I've known Billy and Tommy far too long not to see it in their eyes. But they don't want to put it on me. When are things going to be normal for any of us? He simply sighed, this wasn't the time or place to ask his questions. Later, I'll ask them later._ "I think I will be. Don't worry about Emily, it had to be said sooner or later." Jason stopped and stared at Kahva for a few moments, wanting to hug her, reassure her she wasn't at fault. But with what had just happened, and in front of so many people, he didn't think it would be right just then. He settled for laying a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, this is something between me and Emily, it is not your fault, don't blame yourself." At her reluctant nod, Jason left to find Emily. 

Tommy guided Kahva to a seat by Billy at the bar. "He's right, you know. It isn't your fault." 

"Yeah, if you guys say so," she replied, sounding unconvinced. "This just hasn't been our day, has it?" 

Tommy thought back to their request, which had turned into an order to Sheena, for her to stay in the Power Chamber for her own safety. "No, it hasn't."

* * *

Sheena prowled around the lower levels of the Power Chamber, grumbling to herself as she did so._ I can't believe they ORDERED me to stay here! Goddess of Fire, they haven't let me out of here even for a MOMENT since we got back from the Skybase! It's been two days, and I haven't seen the sun, or felt the wind, or even slept in my own bed! She sighed deeply. And it's for my own safety. I am so SICK of those three words 'my own safety' ! For my own safety I have to stay locked up in here like I'm a prisoner! _

She shuddered away from that thought, it stirred up associations she most certainly did _not_ want! She took a deep breath. "I'm getting out of here, if only for a few minutes, whether they like it or not!" 

The Silver Ranger stormed up to the main room of the Power Chamber, and glanced around, suddenly realizing how quiet it was. "Zordon, what's going on?" she asked, hoping that Mondo hadn't attacked. If he had, dreams or no dreams, zone outs or no zone outs, she was going into battle! 

THEY LEFT A NOTE FOR YOU, SHEENA, he glanced towards the console where Tommy had typed it in. _Sheena... We've gone to get some food for all of us at Ernie's, we won't be gone for more than just a few minutes, hope you're up for pizza. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I didn't want everything to end in an argument. Please understand, we only want you to be safe, you're not being punished or anything like that. After all of us eat something, if you still want to go for a walk, we'll all go to the park, or maybe the lake at the cabin. Zordon and Alpha can keep a continuous lock on us and get us out at the first sign of trouble. We love you, Sheena, please know that. Tommy._ Sheena nodded absently, smiling as she read it. She glanced up at Zordon. 

"They've gone to get pizza," she told him. "I'm going to lie down until they get back." 

I WILL INFORM THEM AS SOON AS THEY RETURN, THEY SHOULD BE BACK SHORTLY, Zordon assured her. SHEENA, TOMMY WILL STEP DOWN SO YOU CAN RESUME LEADERSHIP OF THE RANGERS AS SOON AS WE HAVE YOUR 'ZONE OUTS' UNDER CONTROL, OR STOPPED COMPLETELY, THIS IS NOT A PERMANENT SITUATION, I PROMISE YOU THAT. Sheena simply nodded and left the main chamber, heading back for Kahva's quarters long enough to run a quick brush through her hair _They're all so worried about me, I shouldn't have snapped at them like that, but I can't stand being cooped up in here any longer! I'll just slip out to the park for five minutes, that's all, and I'll be back before they know I'm gone. I can usually figure out when a zone out session is coming, I think one's going to happen this afternoon, I'll get back to the Power Chamber before that happens, though. I'll be fine!_ she told herself. _And when they get back, the first thing I'm going to do is apologize to Tommy, he is only doing what I would be doing, were the situation reversed. Then Billy and Kahva... I could feel their concern, I felt how much my words hurt them, I definitely need to make amends. _

Sheena quickly ran through the Power Chamber to the Zord Holding Bay, knowing she could teleport out of there using its systems, and be back before Alpha or Zordon would notice anything wrong in the main chamber. _There are advantages to having lived here for a solid year, and needing to sneak out every so often, _she chuckled silently to herself. Seconds later, she was gone in a flash of silver teleportation light. _Five minutes, that's all I need, five minutes won't hurt anything..._

* * *

"One extra large pizza and four extra large fruit smoothies, on the house," Ernie said with a broad smile, presenting the take-out food to Billy, Tommy and Kahva. "You guys are some of my best customers, it's the least I could do," the kindly man told them as he politely refused to take their money. "Tell Sheena I hope she's feeling better soon." 

"Thanks Ernie, you're the greatest," Kahva said gratefully, giving him a hug. Ernie blushed and went back to his other customers at the bar, waving to the young people as they left. "He's always so worried about everyone." 

"That he is," Tommy agreed. As they rounded the corner of the Youth Center and prepared to teleport back to the Power Chamber, Tommy spied Jason leaning against the back wall of the building. "Speaking of worried... look, you guys head back to the Power Chamber, I'm going to check on Jason here, I won't be long." Tommy caught the guilt-stricken look that flashed across Kahva's features as she spotted the sad Gold Ranger. "What happened in there is not your fault Kahva, don't blame yourself, okay?" She only nodded to him half-heartedly just before she and Billy teleported away. Tommy sighed, _Just for once, I would love for everyone's personal lives to be absolutely perfect. For forever, if possible, but right now I'd be thankful for a single day of sheer, undisturbed bliss._ "Jason? Want to talk about it?" he asked as he reached the first leader of the present-day Rangers. 

For several long moments, Tommy wondered if Jason would answer him at all. Finally, he asked, "Why can't she understand I can love many people, and that is not a threat to her and me? It's not like I'm in love with every single female friend I have, I'm in love with Emily... at least, I think I still am. When she acts like this... I don't know if I even know her anymore." Jason looked at Tommy, his dark eyes pleading. "What do I have to do to make her understand? I came out here to apologize to her for raising my voice, but she wouldn't even listen! I can't handle much more of this, Tommy. Maybe... maybe I should end it. I don't know, what do I do?" 

"I wish I could give you an answer for that one, Jase, I really do. If it is really love, if it's meant to be, things will work out somehow. I know that must sound pretty silly and stupid right now, but it's what I've always believed. Give her a little while to calm down and think things over, and for you to think things over, then try talking again, see what happens then." A few moments of silence later, Tommy looked at the drink in his hand and offered, "Smoothie? It's a new one that Ernie's made, strawberry-kiwi. I can get another before I go back to the Power Chamber." Before Jason could answer, Tommy's communicator sounded out its all too familiar six-tone beep. "Tommy here, what's up?" 

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha wailed. "Tommy, it's Sheena, she's disappeared! Kahva and Billy have already left to try and find her, we think she went to the park! Our sensors show a teleportation from the Holding Bay a few minutes ago to the park, that's where they are!" 

"Jason is with me, we're on our way," he said, tossing the smoothie into a nearby trashcan._ We should never have all left the Power Chamber! Please don't let Mondo find her before we do, please!_

* * *

"Do you think Sheena will like what we brought her?" Kahva asked, forcing a slightly more cheerful tone into her voice as they arrived back at the Power Chamber. Billy nodded. 

"I think so." He glanced around to see the note Tommy had left still typed into the console. "Has Sheena seen this yet, Zordon?" 

YES BILLY, AND SHE WENT BACK TO KAHVA'S QUARTERS TO LIE DOWN UNTIL YOU RETURNED. THAT WAS FIVE MINUTES AGO. 

Billy looked down the hallway, Sheena had almost always run out to greet him when he had returned before. _Guess she hasn't woken up yet. She must really be tired._ "I'll go see if she's ready to eat yet." 

Kahva nodded as she put the pizza box on a console and absently glanced over the readouts. Everything seemed normal in the Power Chamber, the scanners, the defenses, the teleportation... _ What is this?_ She was about to take a second glance when Billy came rushing back up the hallway from the private quarters. 

"She's not in your room!" he said, his voice half-strangled with fear. "I looked everywhere around there, she's not there!" 

Kahva took that second look at the teleportation controls, they clearly showed a teleportation to the park almost five minutes earlier. "Sheena's teleported to the park," she said, showing Billy the readouts. _I should've stayed behind, I should've kept a closer eye on her! _"We'd better get there, in case she has another zone out, she's due at any time within the next hour or so," she advised. 

Billy glanced quickly at the viewing globe, then swore. "Cogs have just appeared on the other side of the park, and they're heading to her last known location. We've got to get to her first!"

* * *

Klank stared down at the Earth, then whirled around to where King Mondo was muttering various evil plans he had in mind for the Rangers. "Yer Majesty, yer Majesty!" he exclaimed. "The Silver Ranger is out alone in the park, away from all the other Rangers! I'm picking up her lifesigns, and only hers, she is most definitely alone somewhere in the southern region of the park!" 

Mondo was alert at once. _Finally!_ "Alone, you say? Excellent, Klank! Send down the Cogs at once!" 

"Yes, your Evilness," Klank promptly replied. His hands hesitated though, as an unpleasant thought crossed his processors. "Er, sire, what if the Rangers show up when she's attacked?" Klank was already calling for the Cogs as he raised this possibility, though. 

The Machine King thought for a second, then with a sinister growl, "If they show up, then this is what you shall do, Klank!" he instructed, and Klank found himself laughing evilly. _Look out, Silver Ranger, you're coming back here, and this time, you're never leaving again! I do hope the Rangers like our little surprise, if they show up... and I just know they will: they're so predictable that way._

* * *

Sheena wandered through the park, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine immensely. _I really needed this time out,_ she thought as she leaned against a tree. _ Can't stay too long, though. One of those blasted zone outs should be..._ her thoughts drifted off as a powerful shiver went through her. "No," she whispered, sensing what was about to happen. "No, not now... they were right, I should've stayed in the Power Cha-!" 

She was taken by the memories so fast, she didn't even have time to notice the Cogs running out of the woods a few hundred feet away from her: and closing in fast.

* * *

_ The Power Rangers appeared in the village of Orn, looking around alertly as they did so. Caleen cracked her knuckles ominously. "So, Vile's men are supposed to be here?" she asked. _

Silias nodded. "The reports all say this is his next place of attack, if he hasn't done so already." 

Linon was looking everywhere. "He could very well have," the Topaz Ranger said. "This place is way too quiet for my taste." 

"I'm sure if you asked nicely they'd make some noise for you," Dilras wisecracked, earning a glowering look from Linon. Shada glared at them both harshly, and Kahva cleared her throat, taking charge of her tense teammates. 

"Let's check around, see if we can find anyone who lives here, or any of Vile's troops." Kahva stopped dead in her tracks just then, her eyes widening suddenly as she spotted something in the dust. "Well, I think we've found evidence of their troops. Look." 

The others gathered around as she pointed out a half-dozen rough, jagged footprints. "Vile's troop's tracks, all right," Silias nodded. "We've all seen them before." Kahva was the only one who noticed Linon flinching a little, but said nothing about it. 

A cough from Pliona drew their attention away from the tracks. A young woman was standing a few feet from them, staring at them with wide, awe-filled eyes. Kahva turned, tossing her hair aside as she did so. As their eyes met, the woman shook her head in amazement. "No... it can't be... you're dead!" 

"I'm not," Kahva whispered. "Olina... is that really you, little sister?" 

The woman nodded, running to the leader of the Power Rangers and catching her in a joyous hug. "It's me, Kahva. I've missed you so much!"

* * *

"Sheena!" Kahva called out the moment she and Billy got to the park. Fortunately, Alpha had teleported them fairly close to her, and for the moment, there wasn't a Cog in sight. "Sheena, there's Cogs nearby, you've got to come back with me to the Power Chamber! 

She turned towards them as they ran up to her and smiled. "Olina... is that really you, little sister?" 

Kahva stopped in her tracks and stared, heedless of the Cogs that were now running out of the woods behind Sheena. "Olina? What are you talking about, Sheena?" _Oh, that's bright, she's trapped in one of those memories, and I'm asking her what she's talking about! Brilliant, Kahva, just brilliant!_

"Capture the child and the Silver Ranger!" Klank had appeared a few feet away, and was screaming out orders to the Cogs. "Neither of them is to escape this time!" 

Billy morphed even as he put himself between the Cogs, and Kahva and Sheena. Sheena smiled warmly at him, saying, "Olina, I'd like you to meet my friend Silias, the Sapphire Ranger." 

"Olina?" Kahva repeated the name. "What the heck are you talking about? Sheena come on, remember who you are! You're Sheena, the Silver Ranger!" 

Sheena nodded. "That's right, I'm not dead. I'll give you the details later, but first let me introduce you to my friends." The other Rangers were teleporting in, already morphed and battle ready. Sheena looked at them and smiled, but clearly, she was seeing the past, not the present. 

"Ummmm... sure... Kahva..." Kahva Briton said a bit nervously, her eyes on the Cogs already fighting the other Rangers. _Oh boy, I hope she snaps out of this soon! I've got to get her out of here!_ "Let's go this way," she said as she started to try to pull Sheena away from the advancing threat of the Cogs. _We've got to get clear... I hope her zoning out doesn't mean I can't shift her, we hadn't considered that possibility! I can still feel her Ranger power though, we should be okay, we just need to get clear!_

Sheena smiled a little. "Olina, this is Shada, Dilras, Pliona, Caleen, and Linon. We're the Power Rangers." 

Kahva nearly growled in frustration as the 'introduction' continued. _We don't have time for this!_ she groaned. Tapping her communicator, she called, "Alpha, teleport us back! Alpha?" _Great, Mondo is blocking us already! I have to shift us now, there's no other way! _ "I'm shifting her back to the Power Chamber!" she called out to Billy. 

Just as Kahva started to open the portal, Cogs broke through the line of Rangers, surging up all around her and Sheena both. Sheena's eyes narrowed as she pulled out of Kahva's grasp, breaking the connection and destroying the half-formed portal. "Rangers!" she called out, in a voice of pure command. "Looks like Vile's troops are here! Fan out and attack, they must not be allowed to bring more harm to this village!" Sheena was already running into the midst of the Cogs as she shouted the command; lack of sleep kept Kahva from being able to keep up with her. In a few scant seconds over a dozen Cogs had surrounded Sheena, effectively cutting Kahva off from her. 

_I don't believe this!_ Kahva tiredly sighed mentally as she extended her quarterstaff and started to fight her way back to Sheena. "Someone please tell me that her fighting them is at least better than her totally ignoring them!" she called out, taking out a couple of Cogs in the process. 

But no one could say anything of that nature as the Cogs closed in all around them. Sheena fought them, though what she thought they might be in her zoned out dream state was anyone's guess. Kahva fought just as well as she ever had, despite her serious lack of sleep and Sheena's strange, distracting shouts of "Olina, get out of here, you're not a warrior! You can't fight Vile's men!" 

Kahva was almost close enough to grab Sheena and shift back to the Power Chamber, when over half a dozen Cogs suddenly surrounded her. "You can't have her!" Kahva yelled defiantly, toppling one Cog with her staff before another blasted her weapon out of her hands. Kahva treated him to a roughly executed, but effective _ki-see_ punch and throw in return. But she was weaponless and tired, and before she could do anything to retrieve her damaged staff or reach Sheena, a Cog grabbed her from behind, shoving a gag in her mouth before she could cry out for help. Four other Cogs grabbed her and despite her best efforts, they soon had her arms and wrists bound tightly behind her back, then wrapped more rope around her waist and chest, pinning her arms to her torso to prevent her from wriggling free of her bonds. Then they set to work binding her legs at her knees and ankles, though they lost one of their number to a fierce ki-see kick in the process. Kahva couldn't cry out, or move so much as an inch, as two of the Cogs lifted her into the air and celebrated their catch. She could feel the tight, coarse ropes already starting to cut off her circulation. _Sheena!_ she cried out mentally, but her soul-sister couldn't hear her. _Tommy, Billy, help me!_ she screamed, hoping that one of them could hear her before it was too late.

* * *

Kahva Kilanye fought Vile's men as fiercely as ever, knocking them down and sending them flying every which way, one after the other. A voice, scared and in danger tickled at the back of her mind, and as she turned, she could see Olina being tied up cruelly by Vile's men... then Olina suddenly changed into Elysia, Zordon's wife. _Elysia? It can't be, Elysia is dead, she can't be here... _ Then suddenly, Sheena was herself again, and where the park had been peaceful before, she was now surrounded by Cogs, and Kahva Briton, her soul-sister, was being cruelly bound and gagged. Two Cogs lifted the girl into the air, celebrating their catch, then they tossed her into a large net, wrapping it about the helpless girl several times. Sheena started to run towards her sister, when a Cog pulled her hair... 

Kahva Kilanye was fighting Vile's men, and they had her sister Olina. _No! You can't have my sister!_ She fought Vile's troops, snarling as she cleared the way to where she'd last seen her sister. _I'm coming, Olina! Vile is not going to harm another of my family, I swear it!_

* * *

_Tommy, Billy, help me! _ Kahva's scared voice sounded clearly in Tommy's mind for the first time ever and froze him in his tracks, sending cold shivers of fear down his spine. A look to his left showed him Billy was having much the same reaction. They scanned the park for her, and saw their friend helplessly bound and gagged, and being wrapped up in a large net in addition to those bonds. _We're coming!_ he answered her plea, hoping she could hear him as he and Billy started fighting their way to her. "Rangers! The Cogs have Kahva!" he shouted. 

Kahva felt a surge of hope at Tommy's yell, then her stomach knotted as she saw Sheena stalking towards the Cogs that held her captive. Sheena was staring at them, a cold, harsh expression on her face, touched with fear... and... confusion? _Oh man, what's she seeing now? Or do I even want to know?_

"Leave my sister alone," she said in a soft, dangerous voice. "You, of all people, _leave her alone,_" the unmorphed Silver Ranger growled, staring directly at Klank. The robotic majordomo stared back at her, then effected what was the closest thing to a smile that he could. 

"Bring the child to me!" he ordered the Cogs, who immediately started dragging Kahva over to him. "Take her to our King!" Klank made a rather grand, exaggerated gesture with his hand and a cog-shaped teleportation circle formed, waiting for the Cogs to take their prisoner through it to the Skybase. They squeaked and clattered triumphantly, tossing Kahva back and forth amongst themselves, taking their time in hauling their prisoner to the circle. That proved to be an almost fatal mistake for them, as not only did Sheena run towards Kahva, but Tommy and Billy headed for the bound girl as well, the rest of the Rangers not far behind. _This isn't going exactly as King Mondo planned, dream state or no, the Silver Ranger does NOT look happy! He thought everyone would be distracted with trying to save the child, and would ignore Sheena so we could grab her. Instead, they're all converging over here, including Sheena!_ Klank nodded to a couple of the Cogs, and they raised Kahva up into the air over their heads. _No matter, my King's plan will still work!_ With a quick motion, he ordered the Cogs to throw Kahva at Tommy and Billy. _ There, that should do it,_ Klank thought confidently. 

But their throw was short, and Kahva landed several feet away from Tommy and Billy on the ground with a bone-jarring thud, the wind knocked out of her with an audible whoosh. Kahva coughed and gasped desperately, trying to get her breath back, but her constricting bonds and the gag hindered her efforts. Billy's eyes widened in alarm under his helmet as he realized that the gag was gradually being pulled further into her mouth as she tried frantically to breathe normally. _She's going to choke if we don't get her free soon! _

Sheena's path suddenly curved away from Klank, and she ran over to Kahva, scooping the defenseless girl off of the ground, holding her tightly. "Oh Olina," she whispered, her face scrunched up as if in pain. "I couldn't let him hurt you!" 

Kahva tried to say something, anything, but was halted by the gag in her mouth and the grip of steel Sheena had her in, which was impeding her efforts to get her breath back. Klank looked around at the Rangers converging from everywhere on the two young women, all ready for battle. 

"Cogs, back to the Skybase!" he ordered finally. "We can do nothing more here today, but we _will_ be back, Rangers!" _King Mondo's plan should have worked, he's not going to like this one bit!_ he lamented to himself as he and the Cogs teleported away. 

"Kahva?" Sheena's voice was so soft, and so confused. Her soul-sister looked up at her, hoping the dream/zone out had finally ended, and Sheena was back to normal. When their eyes met, Kahva saw Sheena's own eyes, own soul, looking back at her. 

But only for a moment, which faded all too quickly. As it did so, Kahva actually saw Sheena's existence fade, and Kahva Kilanye's memories resurge into full force. _This isn't happening! Wake up Sheena, please, you're crushing me!_ she yelled mentally, struggling for air. 

As the Cogs and Klank vanished at last, Tommy came over in time to hear Sheena say, "Olina, don't you dare move! Your arm is hurt badly, you need to see a healer!" As if to keep 'Olina' still, Sheena gripped Kahva even more tightly, which served only to deprive Kahva of air even more. 

Kahva had at best a few scrapes and bruises, nothing that could possibly require a doctor, as far as he could see, but she needed to be freed from her gag and bonds, as well as Sheena's iron grip. Tommy reminded himself he was more or less dealing with his ancestor here, not his cousin. "Kahva," he said, touching her shoulder. "Let's take 'Olina' back to the Power -, umm, Command Center'. We can get her looked at there." He nodded as the Rangers all closed ranks around the two young women, noticing Tanya had retrieved Kahva's blast-damaged quarterstaff. _Billy's going to have to make Kahva another one, that staff is history,_ he thought sadly. With Tanya's arrival, everyone was accounted for. 

Sheena looked up at Tommy, nodding. "Good idea, Dilras." She got to her feet, still holding Kahva closely against her. She winced a little at something, but didn't let go of Kahva for so much as a second. The Red Ranger could tell their friend was almost turning blue from lack of oxygen as they all teleported back.

* * *

"You can let go of her now, Sheena," Adam said, trying to take the still bound, gagged, and gasping form of Kahva Briton out of the Silver Ranger's arms. Even with Tommy and Billy's added efforts, Sheena wasn't letting go of the girl, and Kahva's eyes were starting to glaze over ever so slightly. 

"Perhaps we should try a crowbar?" Rocky suggested half-jokingly as he stepped up to try and assist them. 

"You don't know how tempted I am right now," Tommy muttered. _She won't wake up, and Kahva can't even begin to try to breathe right until she does! _ "Sheena!" he almost barked the name out. "Sheena, you are _not_ Kahva Kilanye!" 

"Of course I am!" she retorted with an irritated frown. "Who else would I be? Where's Alpha, Olina needs attention," she continued on, ignoring the very robot she was looking for even though he was less than two feet away from her. But the light in her eyes had flickered for the briefest of moments. 

"He's right beside you, and you're Sheena Devereaux Cranston!" Kat told her, hoping Sheena would snap out of the zone out. "Our friend, our leader! One of the _modern_ Rangers, not your ancestor! Sheena, wake up!" But the light that was their friend wasn't there anymore, and Sheena seemed not to hear any of them. 

_This isn't working, what do we do! _Billy wondered. Suddenly, he stopped trying to free Kahva from his wife's arms, stared at Sheena for a few moments, then took a deep breath. "Kahva Kilanye," he said, and the inflections in his voice held all the love he held for Sheena. The Rangers collectively held their breath as she turned to him. "Sheena," he called her by her real name as he took her hand. "I love you. Come back to me, please. I care about Kahva Kilanye, she founded the line that led to the woman I love, but it is you I love, you my sweet Sheena, my beloved, my life, and my wife. We need you, come back to us, please." 

Tears quivered in her eyes for a few moments as the light in them changed back to normal, then Sheena was finally herself again. "I love you Billy," she whispered. "I zoned out again, didn't I? I should've stayed in the Power Chamber like you guys told me, I should've listened - what is going on... Kahva?" she asked, finally realizing she was holding the nearly unconscious bound girl, and holding her far too tightly. "Oh Sweet Goddess, Kahva, what happened, what am I doing?" she asked even as Tommy and Adam took the girl out of her arms, carefully laid Kahva on the floor, and set to work freeing her with Rocky and Jason's help. The first order of business was to cut away enough of the net so they could remove her gag. Once it was out, she gasped and coughed convulsively while they continued to hack away at the net and her bonds. 

Billy wrapped his arms around his wife, raising her chin gently and kissing her on the lips. "It's all right," he told her. "Everything worked out okay, it's going to be all right." 

"Do you remember anything?" Tommy asked while cutting off the last of Kahva's ropes, knowing it was a futile question even as he did. Sheena shook her head, watching as Jason helped the now-freed Kahva sit up, holding her as she continued to fight to breathe normally, her body spasming uncontrollably with the effort. 

"Last thing I remember clearly was being in the park, walking. I could feel the zone out coming on this time though, I knew it was going to happen, but I couldn't teleport back in time. Then I think I saw Kahva being tossed around by Cogs... I think I remember looking into Kahva's eyes too, for just a second," she shuddered. "And then I was here. What happened?" 

It didn't take them too long to catch her up on the basics of what had happened, but it looked like it was going to take quite a while for her to calm down. "Blast it, if we can't figure out what's going on, and how to stop it, I'm going to lose my mind!" she snapped. _And I'm going to lose someone I love, oh Kahva, please forgive me!_ she sent to her soul-sister. Kahva had finally managed to start breathing almost normally by then, though she was still coughing a bit. A gentle, tired smile and nod told Sheena she was more than forgiven, that Kahva knew Sheena hadn't been in control of herself during the battle in the park. But even the knowledge that Kahva's only injuries were a couple of bruises, skinned knees and elbows, and her temporary loss of breath, couldn't ease Sheena troubled mind. The Silver Ranger sighed sadly, yawning. 

"You need some rest," Billy told her. "You go take a nap, we're going to do some more research, and see if we can figure out how to help you." He kissed her gently and pushed her along to the bedroom. _I love you, sweetheart. It's going to be all right, Sheena, I promise,_ he sent to her as she left the main chamber. _How can you be so sure?_

* * *

"Thanks, guys," Kahva finally got out, once her breathing had returned completely to normal. "I would be in the Skybase right now if not for all of you," she shivered, then went into a coughing fit. Her lungs were still a little oxygen-starved, but the coughing was fading fairly quickly. Jason gently hugged her and continued to hold her as she recovered from the battle. Her face fell as she saw Tanya place her damaged staff on a nearby console. Billy could fix it, she hoped, but she would be weaponless until he could. _ Or until he makes me a new one, those stupid Cogs messed it up pretty well. What else can go wrong?_ Jason's voice broke into her mind then, and all thoughts of broken weapons vanished. 

"Are you sure you're all right? You should go lie down too," he gently urged her. 

Kahva shook her head at that suggestion. "Not yet, we don't have time. There can be no doubts about it now, Sheena is reliving Kahva Kilanye's memories for some reason. That zone out happened quite a bit sooner than we had expected," she stated, looking up at Tommy and Billy. "We've got to figure out what she's seeing and fast, I've got a bad feeling about all of this." 

Tommy nodded his agreement. "You're right there, things are speeding up, and that, combined with a lack of solid sleep is impairing Sheena's thinking and judgment." At the raised eyebrows and questioning looks he got from the others, Tommy quickly told the rest of the team what had happened before Sheena had snuck out to the park. 

"You had to relieve her of command? Oh man, I thought something had happened when I saw you guys at the Juice Bar," Jason said as he helped Kahva get up off the floor, keeping her steady while she worked the kinks out of her limbs from where her circulation had been stopped by the ropes. "You know, I think Sheena is more scared than she's letting on, and usually she doesn't show us even _this_ much of what she's feeling." 

"That's certainly true," Kat agreed, then moved to help Jason catch Kahva as she lost her balance while trying to walk out the rest of the cramps in her muscles. "You really should lie down too, they went into overkill with the way they tied you up out there. Let us take you to your quarters," she suggested. 

Kahva reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, they did, didn't they?" She started to let them lead her out, but suddenly stiffened and turned back to Tommy. "They _did_ overdo it!" 

"What do you mean?" Adam asked, looking from Kahva to Tommy. "They didn't want you to get away, they weren't taking any chances at all, so yeah, they would go overboard with the ropes and net." 

But Tommy caught her meaning, and found Billy already calling up the record of the battle, he had reached the same conclusion. "You're right about that, they didn't want Kahva to escape... but they didn't want Kahva this time at all, not really, they only wanted Sheena." Tommy pointed to the scene Billy had already frozen on the viewing globe. "They were taking _too_ much time dragging Kahva to their teleportation circle, they were celebrating too much. They _wanted_ us to rescue Kahva, or at least focus our attention on her - so they could grab Sheena and take her away before we realized what was going on!" 

"I was a distraction," Kahva finished for him. 

"I'm sure if they could've taken you as well, they would have, but yes, you were meant to be a distraction. When the Cogs threw you, they probably meant for you to actually hit Billy and me, but their throw fell short. Still though, even without hitting us, it would've worked, we were distracted from Sheena for a few moments, something else went wrong with their plans..." Tommy's voice trailed off, there was a piece of the puzzle missing. 

"Sheena was what went wrong," Billy realized. "They didn't expect Sheena to go after Kahva, they must've expected her to be just as oblivious to what was going on this time as the last time they attacked us in the park, when she zoned out then. When Sheena grabbed Kahva, they didn't know how to deal with that, and we were all too close by for them to try and get her by then. Whatever Sheena was reliving was close enough to reality for her to both fight back against them, and spoil their plans in the process." 

"What was Sheena seeing?" Tanya wondered out loud. "She called Kahva 'Olina', she thought her arm was hurt, what was she seeing?" 

"One way to try and find out," Billy replied. He immediately set up a search in the Power Chamber's database for the name 'Olina', and after a minute, he was rewarded with the few records the search could find. "Olina Rhaydra Zyon was Kahva Rhaydra Kilanye's younger sister. She married Kyloc Zyon, and they owned and ran a livery stable in the village of Orn on Eltar. Wait... this last record on Olina mentions a battle in Orn." Billy called up the visual record of the battle, the picture was not completely clear and the audio had a bit of static throughout. "A result of age, and that these records were transferred from damaged diary rods," Billy explained. They watched the record, and Sheena's behavior suddenly made a lot more sense... but the date of the record bothered Billy. _Why is that date so familiar?_

"I wonder if Sheena's, or rather Kahva Kilanye's memories, are going in the order they happened in," Rocky mused aloud, off-handedly. 

"That might be a good thing if they are," Kahva said as she started to head for her quarters, unassisted, to lie down finally. "Maybe once they run their cycle, all this will end, and things will go back to normal." As the girl disappeared into the hallway, her and Rocky's comments sent shivers down Billy's spine. He called up a very specific record, and quickly checked the date on it. _That's why the date from what happened at Orn is so familiar... _Billy's stomach knotted as the possibilities ran through his mind. _If the memories are going in order, what's going to happen when this one hits?_

* * *

Instead of lying down, Sheena powered up Kahva's computer as soon as she got to their quarters. It was hooked up into the Power Chamber's computer system, and in a matter of moments, Sheena had pulled up the recording of the battle in the park. _What didn't they tell me, they were glossing over the details, what happened out there? How did the Cogs get Kahva, why was I holding her so tightly? What is going on in my mind, or am I simply going insane? _ Sheena sat quietly and watched the battle replay on the computer screen, careful to keep the volume on the speakers turned down low enough so the sounds wouldn't escape from the room. She saw Billy and Kahva run up to her, then the arrival of the other Rangers to fight off the Cogs that were rushing towards her. She saw Kahva try to shift her out to safety... and saw how she herself had destroyed the portal by pulling away from her soul-sister's grasp. _Another second or two and she could've had us here and safe, and the Cogs would never have gotten a hold of her, if only I hadn't pulled away... _ She watched Kahva bravely fight the metal menaces, though her movements were obviously slowed by fatigue. Sheena realized then just how little sleep any of them had gotten over the past couple of days and nights. She watched the Cogs capture her sister, watched as one roughly shoved a gag into her mouth, watched as four others bound her cruelly, then lifted their helpless prisoner up into the air as if they had been hunting wild game, and were returning home victorious with their prize. She watched them wrap Kahva in a large net, watched them tossing her about carelessly as if she were a rag doll... _They had her right at the teleportation circle... They threw her at Tommy and Billy! _

Sheena couldn't watch anymore as she saw herself scoop Kahva up in a protective, but crushing hug. _This is all my fault, I should never have left here, I knew why they didn't want me to go out alone, I knew they were right, but I did it anyway! Five minutes, Sheena, you thought five minutes wouldn't kill you, and it didn't... but it nearly cost you your sister! You fool, you didn't think... _Sheena was so upset at herself, she didn't feel Kahva Kilanye's memories as they surged up and took control of her one last time...

* * *

_Kahva slowly moved about in her quarters, the medication she had taken was wearing off, and the pain of the injuries she had suffered in Orn was returning in full force. "But the pain is worth it," she thought, "because Olina is still alive." She thought back to what had happened less than a week earlier, a reconnaissance mission which had turned into a minor battle...

* * *

"Olina... is that really you, little sister?" _

The woman nodded, running to the leader of the Power Rangers and catching her in a joyous hug. "It's me, Kahva. I've missed you so much!" Kahva laughed as she swung her sister around in a merry little circle, a joy ringing in her voice that they heard all too rarely. "Whoops, I'm so sorry!" the woman apologized with a giggle as her swinging feet hit one of the young men in his leg. 

Kahva smiled and set the younger woman down. "Olina, I'd like you to meet my friend Silias, the Sapphire Ranger," she introduced her sister to Silias, who teasingly limped over to the young woman. 

"Nice to meet you," Olina smiled. "I'm so sorry about your leg, I guess we got carried away." 

"I think Kahva is the one who carried you away," Silias laughed. "Or around, rather. Don't worry about it, there's no harm done. And it's nice to hear Kahva laughing, we don't hear it from her often enough." Olina's smile grew even more radiant as she nodded to Silias, then turned back to her long-lost older sister. 

"Thank the Gods, we all thought you were dead, we had heard about the attack on the farm... But you're here, you're alive! Wait a second," she paused, as her sister's words started to sink in. "Silias, the Sapphire Ranger!" 

"That's right, I'm not dead," Kahva grinned. "I'll give you all the details later, but first let me introduce you to my friends. Olina, this is Shada, Dilras, Pliona, Caleen, and Linon," she introduced the others in turn. "We're the Power Rangers." 

"YOU! You're a Power Ranger!" Olina's eyes went wide in surprise. "Obviously there's a lot you're going to need to tell me!" she exclaimed happily. Her eyes clouded a bit as memories resurfaced. "When you died - when we thought you all had been killed..." 

"Kahva!" Linon shouted. "Vile's men!" Everyone turned and looked in the direction Linon was pointing. Nearly thirty of Vile's heartless soldiers were running and riding back into the village, sending the few people who had dared to venture out of their homes and businesses scrambling frantically back into the them, hoping for some small measure of safety. 

"Rangers!" Kahva called out in a voice of pure command. "Looks like Vile's troops are here! Fan out and attack, they must not be allowed to bring more harm to this village!" 

"Didn't they do enough to us last time!" Olina asked no one in particular. Already she was running towards a livery stable, grabbing a pitchfork to defend it with. "You can't have our village!" she shouted defiantly, waving her makeshift weapon at any of Vile's men who dared come close. 

"Olina, get out of here, you're not a warrior! You can't fight Vile's men!" Kahva shouted. 

"I will not let them destroy what little Kyloc and I have left!" Olina yelled in reply, jabbing her pitchfork at the soldiers who were now trying to loot whatever goods or animals that were left in the stable. Then everyone was too busy fighting to see what was happening to anyone else, as thirty soldiers turned into fifty, with more that could be heard in the distance, spreading their terror throughout the streets. 

Kahva was fighting a full dozen of Vile's men, too angry to morph, when a sudden scream pierced the air. Kahva spotted a clump of soldiers laughing lustfully as they dragged a helpless prisoner away from the stables and down the street. Slowly fighting her way through the soldiers, she at last caught a glimpse of who the prisoner was: Olina. "No! You can't have my sister!" She fought Vile's troops, snarling as she cleared the way to where she'd last seen her sister. "I'm coming, Olina!" she shouted. Reaching the corner the soldiers had disappeared around, "Vile is not going to harm another of my family, I swear it!" she muttered under her breath. 

"Bring her to me!" an eerily familiar voice sounded ahead of her. Kahva looked for its source; she could see another eight soldiers between her and Olina, it was taking another two soldiers to drag Olina along, and they had their hands full with handling her. They stopped in front of a helmeted figure on horseback, their commander evidently. Kahva rushed to free her sister, but the eight soldiers in front of her blocked her way, forcing her to fight through them if she wanted to reach Olina. "Well, well, what have we here?" came the voice again, leaving no doubts that the figure on horseback was the one in charge. A faceplate hid his features, but the voice... "I've heard it before, but where?" the unmorphed Silver Ranger thought as she fought one soldier after another. 

"A fine specimen for the great Master Vile," he gloated at Olina. "Too bad you aren't pretty enough to be given the honor of being one of his house slaves, or concubines." 

"Considering what that idiot thinks beauty is, I'll take that as a compliment!" Olina retorted. 

But if her remark irritated the commander, he gave no sign. "Teranoc!" he shouted. A scaly ink-black monster, roughly ten feet tall with jagged six inch long talons, yellowed fangs, blood-red eyes and powerful-looking wings seemed to appear from nowhere to kneel before him. It growled some kind of reply, waiting for orders. 

It didn't have to wait long. "This one is to be a field slave," he declared. "Take her to our Master's stronghold for immediate assignment." Then he looked intently at Olina, fiery ice-blue eyes nearly glowing from the shadows of his helmet. "If you're lucky, you will only have a month left to live; the life of a field slave is very harsh... and short." Olina gave a sudden start of recognition then, as the monster grabbed her arms tightly. She ignored the beast, all of her attention was on the commander. 

"YOU! I don't believe it, you work for Vile!" she shouted in disbelief. Then she laughed at him, determined to be defiant no matter what. "Kahva had better taste than I thought then, if this is what you've become, you piece of diseased horse crap! No wonder she never wanted to have anything to do with you after she came home with Dalien! You aren't worthy to have EVER been her friend!" 

The commander growled in hate-filled recognition, then with an angry gesture, he ordered Olina bound hand and foot. "I know you now, Olina Rhaydra, and you will pay for your insolence, and that of your sister for ever daring to reject me!" He raised his hand to give another order, this time to the monster, when a voice he'd thought long dead stopped him cold. 

"Leave my sister alone," Kahva said in a soft, dangerous voice. There were only two soldiers remaining between her and a clear path down the street to her sister. Her voice, not yet raised, still shot clearly over the distance with the force of a laser blast. "You, of all people,** leave her alone,**" the unmorphed Silver Ranger growled, staring directly at the commander. She knew him now: the former friend who had promised harm to, and possession of, her descendants one day. 

"You're alive?" he breathed, his voice soft with remembered lust and desire for the first time in years. Then it went hard again in an instant. "Olina shall be the first to feel my wrath for your betrayal, Kahva Kilanye! Teranoc! Run her through!" he ordered the monster, who immediately whirled Olina around by one arm, breaking it with a sickening snap as his talons sank into her flesh. He threw the helpless, bound young woman down into the middle of the street, and everyone could see the sickly, pale yellow poison dripping from his talons. Olina was already slipping into shock from her broken arm and the poison, her body shaking uncontrollably. Teranoc beat his powerful wings, and with an ear-splitting screech flew into the air, then started a powerful dive, his talons stretched before him like spears, ready to spit his victim upon them. 

"NO!" Kahva screamed as she kicked aside the last soldier in her way, then bolted for her sister. There was no time to morph now, all she could do was scoop her sister up into her arms, using her own body as a shield as the hideous monster's talons sank into her back. "Oh Olina," she whispered, her face scrunched up in terrible pain. "I couldn't let him hurt you!" she whispered. The commander roared in outrage, he had wanted the monster to kill Olina, not to harm Kahva! She turned her head just in time to see him launch powerful bolts of energy from his fingertips at Teranoc, disintegrating the beast in seconds. "Silver Ranger Power!" Kahva cried out, and she was treated to a gasp from the commander as she morphed right in front of him. 

"You!" he breathed in shock. The arrival of the other Rangers stopped him from saying anything more, other than orders for his men to retreat from the village, and shouted promises of more destruction from Master Vile. Dilras rushed over to Kahva, trying to get her to release Olina so they could examine the injuries of both women. 

But Kahva seemed not to notice the others or her own perilous condition, all her attention was focused on her younger sister. "Olina, don't you dare move! Your arm is hurt badly, you need to see a healer!" she told her trembling sibling. 

"Kahva," the Red Ranger said gently, touching her shoulder carefully. "Let's take Olina back to the Command Center. We can get her looked at there." 

That seemed to get through to their leader. "Good idea, Dilras." She got to her feet, still holding Olina closely against her, wincing a little at the shooting pain in her back. Moments later, they were back in the Command Center, and Kahva was calling for Alpha to treat Olina, still ignoring her own injuries. So focused was she on her sister, she didn't notice Silias injecting her with an antidote for the monster's poison, after doing the same for Olina. Neither did she notice him sedating her...

* * *

"No, Silias doesn't consider it to have been a minor battle at all," she smiled a little to herself. "But he's not putting it into the perspective of total injuries, he's only thinking about mine and Olina's. He's so sweet..." Kahva indulged herself for a few moments, letting her mind recall every line and curve of his face, the sparkle in his eyes, the soft concern in his voice when he would check on a teammate... and the slightly different inflection that same voice took when he checked on her, how tender it would become... "He is truly a wonderful man," Olina had observed during her two days in the Command Center. 

"That he is," Kahva had agreed. 

"So tell him you love him," her younger sister urged. "I know you all too well, sister dear, you are in love, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not." The two days the sisters got to spend together were some of the happiest that Kahva had known in a very long time. Then right before leaving, Olina had shared one last secret: she and her husband Kyloc were expecting. "We think it will be a boy," she joyfully said. Then a sad look crossed her features as she looked at Kahva. "I'm sorry, here I am gushing about my child to be, when... Oh Kahva, the lies we were told, your terrible loss..." 

"Go on," Kahva gently urged her. "It's okay." 

Olina took a deep breath, then continued, "Ziras tried to tell us that it was a pack of marauders from the mountains that killed you, that he tried to save all of you - but we knew better. I knew better, I remembered you saving those two boys from Vile's men years ago... something told me that what happened at your farm was by Master Vile's hand. Not many people remember he was on Eltar back then, when we were little, but I do. Then when I found out Ziras was working for Vile, I knew he'd been lying about the marauders." Olina stopped, a cautious hope crossing her features. "If Ziras lied about you being dead..." her voice trailed off. As much as she wanted to know everything, she was almost afraid to hear it. 

Kahva smiled sadly, she knew what the question was without it being asked. "I lost them all, including the child we were expecting. I lost them all, except for Tilrak. He's on Edenoi, where he'll be safe. He's to be the eighth Power Ranger now that he's old enough, if he chooses to accept the Diamond Power." The two sisters hugged each other, finally able to grieve together over their shared loss - and gain, as they had found each other again, against all odds. "I'm so glad you're safe, I didn't know what might have happened after the attack on the farm... Oh, Olina..." All too soon, it came time for them to bid each other a tearful farewell. "Be safe, my sister." 

"Be safe, my sister, Kahva Kilanye, Silver Ranger. I love you." And Olina had been teleported home to her anxious husband. Now, two days later, Kahva was all alone in the Command Center, except for Zordon and Alpha, unable to fight with the Rangers until her injuries had fully healed. The Rangers were fighting Vile's newest monster, the fierce Harvox, a five-headed dragon-like creature that spat blue flame. She watched on the Crystal as her friends fought without her. Suddenly, the Harvox vanished, as did the Rangers. They had been in their Zords, unable to form Megazord without her, but now the machines were still and unmoving. "Zordon, what's wrong?" 

"The other Rangers have been captured by Vile, Kahva," Alpha-2 reported. "He overrode the protections we had on the Zords and teleported them to an unknown location. There is also a message coming through for you." 

"From Vile?" It wasn't exactly a question. 

"Yes." 

"Put him on the globe." She watched, eyes cold, as Vile appeared on the large crystal which was their viewing globe. "Surrender to me, Silver Ranger, or your friends die." 

"What terms?" she asked through tight lips. 

"No terms," he grinned. "Unconditional surrender, in one hour, or your friends die: starting with the Sapphire Ranger." 

His image faded. Kahva looked calmly at Zordon. "I'm not going to surrender. But I can't let them die either." 

THEN WHAT WILL YOU DO, KAHVA? 

"Free them." Her eyes, heart, and voice turned to steel. "Find them Zordon, and teleport me to them." She paced the Command Center nervously until Alpha reported finally that he had found them. 

"It will be dangerous, Kahva. You are still weak, there is no guarantee that even you will come back." 

She closed her eyes as Alpha spoke his warning. Zordon had told her she was the strongest Ranger, more powerful than all six of the others combined. She wasn't feeling very strong at the moment, though. She thought of Silias, her closest friend, whose heart and mind she knew as she knew her own. She bit her lip. 

Her closest friend? Who was she kidding? She was in love with him, and he with her. After ten years, she'd fallen in love again. She grinned to herself. Vile would not take her love from her a second time. 

"Silver Ranger Power!" She morphed, then looked at Alpha. "I have to do this. Teleport me there now." 

"Good luck, Kahva." The little robot went to the teleportation system and began to program the coordinates. 

MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU, SILVER RANGER, Zordon said. 

"I'll need it," she sighed. As the Command Center vanished from her sight, she had the same feeling she'd had when looked at the farm that last time: that she would never see this place again. 

* * *

Kahva wearily made her way to her quarters, thinking to herself, _I'll just sleep for a little while, only an hour at the most, we have to find a way to stop Sheena's zone outs, we have to!_ She opened the door, fully expecting to see Sheena sound asleep on her bed, but instead the other young woman was seated at the computer, a sad, but determined look on her features. Even as she entered the room, Sheena was morphing for some reason. _Oh no, now what? _ "Sheena?" Kahva asked tentatively, pausing by the cot she'd used so little over the past two nights. "Sheena, can't you sleep? Do you want me to ask Alpha to get you something?" she asked hopefully, easing her way closer to the other girl. _Please don't let this be a zone out again already, please!_

But it was. Sheena turned slightly at the mention of the robot, and the haze in her eyes was all too frighteningly familiar. "I have to do this. Teleport me there now." 

Kahva felt the blood drain from her face even as she yelled into her communicator, "Shut down teleportation now!" She rushed to reach Sheena, but fate begrudged her the extra second she needed. 

"I'll need it," Sheena sighed, the last words Kahva heard her say before she disappeared in a flash of silvery-white teleportation light, and Kahva crashed headlong through the space her best friend had just occupied. 

"What happened?" Billy shouted as he ran into the room and saw Kahva lying on the floor. As he picked her up, her eyes told him the very thing he had feared would happen had come true: Sheena was lost in another memory. 

Sheena was gone.

* * *

"Klank!" Mondo shouted. "KLANK! Get in here now!" _Can this be? Could it be this easy?_

The poor majordomo obeyed as quickly as his battered frame would allow, he considered himself to be quite fortunate to be functional at all. His master had not been pleased at his failure to carry out the plan to capture Sheena, and had demonstrated that displeasure rather violently. "Y-yes, yer High Exalted Evilness?" he squeaked out, carefully stepping over the Cog parts that hadn't yet been cleared away by the Cogs Mondo hadn't torn apart in a fit of anger. 

But instead of having to dodge more blows from his King, Klank found himself being ushered quickly to the viewing screen. "You said you thought that Sheena might actually be dreaming about her ancestor, and acting out certain events in her dream states?" 

Klank was surprised at the question, until he saw the scene unfolding in the screen. _Thank the Great Assembler, I've been given one last chance! _ "Yes, King Mondo. And I would say this proves it, as she's fighting thin air." 

"Yes! She's mine!" Mondo laughed, then ordered a squad of Cogs to capture, and then imprison the Silver Ranger in a specific location. Once that was done, and with surprising ease, he noted absently, Mondo teleported himself over to where his prize was locked up. "Jam their teleportation, but only for here. I don't want them to get anywhere near my prize," he told Klank over their communications link. "Then break into their systems, I have a message for them... Their leader is about to become my slave," he rumbled happily. _Oh yes, she is mine now... and the Earth will soon follow!_

* * *

"That's all she said, and then she teleported out," Kahva reported. Billy had taken her back into the main chamber while Alpha and Adam frantically tried to pin down Sheena's exact location. Tanya took over attending to Kahva, handing her an ice pack to put on her forehead from where she'd hit the desk, diving after Sheena. "Thanks, Tanya," she said gratefully. "I'm sorry, Billy, I was too slow, if only I'd gotten in there a few seconds earlier -" 

"It's not your fault, Kahva," Billy assured her, already taking his place at the console by Alpha and Adam. "Got her! She's in... the Lunar Palace?" Billy stopped and quickly double-checked his readings. "Confirmed, that's where she is. And of course you-know-who already has our teleportation blocked to and from there." 

"Teleportation, shemeleportation," Kahva replied, putting down the ice pack. "He can't stop me from shifting us in there, let's go get her!" 

Billy started to say something to the older young woman, but he never got the chance. The viewing globe crackled and hissed, then the visage of King Mondo filled it completely. "Good afternoon, Power-_less_ Rangers!" he cheerfully gloated. "Missing something... silver?" Mondo moved aside then to reveal Sheena locked up in a cell in the Lunar Palace. She was slowly pacing in the small space, leaning against the wall for support. She staggered suddenly as she powered down, as if she were in a great deal of pain, but there were no apparent injuries that they could see on the globe. "Sheena is going to serve me as my ultimate warrior, just as soon as Klank brings over my mind control potion and gives it to her. Your destruction is at hand, fools!" 

"I will not serve Vile, I cannot... I won't hurt my friends," Sheena muttered to herself, seeming not to notice Mondo. Mondo merely snorted and resumed his gloating. 

"Enjoy this last glimpse of your wife, Sapphire Ranger. The next time you see her, she will be fighting for me!" Mondo acted as if he were going to shut off the communication, but stopped and struck what could've passed for a smug expression, if his face could've moved more. "And before you consider using the child to shift into here to rescue your leader, you may want to take a look at downtown Angel Grove." With that, the communication crackled away. Adam and Alpha were already scrambling to see what Mondo could have meant by his last words, but Billy had gone stark white from the moment they'd heard Sheena speak. 

"There's Cogs everywhere in downtown Angel Grove," Adam reported. "Mondo knows we can't let them hurt anyone there, or tear the place up. He's doing this to keep us from going after Sheena - Billy?" 

"She's dying," he whispered hoarsely. "Sheena is in Kahva Kilanye's last memories now, you heard what she said about Vile, and serving evil." Billy's voice shook with a fear he dared not express. "She's remembering Kahva's last minutes before she gave up her powers to the future, and her life, to keep from serving evil." 

"We'll split up then. Billy, Kahva and I will shift to the Lunar Palace," Tommy said, after a quick look at Kahva to make sure she was up to it. _As if I could stop her anyway,_ he thought, as the determination in her eyes told him she would shift them no matter what the cost. 

As much as I would like to order her to stay here and rest, I can't, she's not a Ranger, and we need her too badly right now, if we're going to have even the slightest chance of rescuing Sheena. "It's going to take all the rest of you to handle Mondo's Cogs," he told the other Rangers. "Alpha, keep working on breaking down Mondo's barrier around the Lunar Palace; the second you break through, teleport us all out of there." 

"Right, Tommy," Alpha replied, then teleported the other Rangers, already morphed, to downtown Angel Grove. 

Tommy then turned to Billy. "You don't think that Sheena..." 

Billy could only stare at the globe which now showed his other teammates fighting the Cogs in Angel Grove. "I don't know if she will give up her life like Kahva Kilanye did. All I know is that I don't want to find out. We've got to get her out of there and out of this dream state before the memory goes that far." Tommy and Billy morphed then, and Kahva took Billy's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before she shifted them to the Lunar Palace. _Don't leave us Sheena_, Billy sent, hoping somehow his love could hear him. _ Please don't leave me..._

* * *

Sheena wandered through the vaults of her own mind, lost and alone and very scared. She knew now what the others had only suspected for a fact: she was reliving Kahva Kilanye's memories. Every single part of her was trapped within them, except for this tiny spark that was still herself. _This must be the part of me they could reach, the part that once contacted, could snap me out of the memories. But why am I only aware of myself now? And why, since I am finally aware, can't I wake myself up? Why can't I stop this! _ As long as her mind and body were governed by the memories of her ancestor, she was trapped deep within herself. She couldn't feel Billy, Kahva or Tommy, couldn't touch her powers, and had no idea what was going on within her own mind. 

_Please, make it stop,_ she whispered. _Mother Isis, Lady of All, guide me and give me strength in this. Help me to find the reason for this, to find the way back to myself._

There was no reply from above, but from somewhere the Silver Ranger felt a tremendous upwelling of strength and courage. She would make it through this, she realized. Somehow, she would make it through. 

Of course, that didn't do her much good sometime later, when she felt herself dying.

* * *

Mondo stared at the semi-conscious Silver Ranger, metallic eyes glinting with evil. She hadn't even acknowledged his presence, or that of the half-dozen Cogs circling around her to make sure she didn't even _try_ to escape. He searched back in his memory for what she was probably reliving. As it occurred to him, he almost frowned. _Those last hours Vile had Kahva Kilanye, that has to be it, he concluded. How appropriate it is then, that I have imprisoned her in Silias Spartus' old cell. Too bad she isn't conscious right now, I could use that information to torment her with as well!_ Mondo found he could not gloat over his victory just yet, though. Knowing what had happened in the past wasn't giving him enough comfort to do that. 

"You had better not die, Sheena," he growled to the oblivious woman. "I have gone through far too much trouble to get you, to let you escape me as your ancestor escaped Vile. I'm not going to have that wrinkled old wizard laughing at me! Live through your memories, then awaken to your eternal servitude to me! I command it!" 

"Never serve evil," Sheena whispered, in response to the memories flowing through her mind instead of the monstrous Machine King less than five feet from her. As Kahva Kilanye checked herself for injuries, coming to the dreaded conclusion, Sheena Devereaux Cranston's breathing grew more and more shallow. Mondo laughed to himself, then growled. 

"Klank had better hurry with that potion," he declared. "I will have her in my service for all time, and there is nothing anyone can do about it!" 

He didn't notice the ice blue eyes in the shadows, lit with a fiery lust and hate. _ I don't think so, Mondo. I think you're going to get a fairly nasty surprise in a very few minutes. A silver surprise. _ Then the eyes, and their owner left before anyone could stumble upon their presence. _ But Mondo is right about one thing, Sheena... You had better not die... Not before I can claim you.._.

* * *

"Okay, we're here, now where is Sheena?" Billy stifled a yawn as he, Tommy, and Kahva appeared in the Lunar Palace. It hadn't changed much since their last visit there, except for the utter collapse of the tallest tower, legacy of that same visit. 

_The timing on this could have been a lot better,_ Tommy thought as he glanced back and forth, on the alert for Cogs, monsters, Sheena, Mondo, or anything else that might show up. _We're all worn out, and Kahva doesn't look so good._ "Are you all right?" he asked softly. She would be their only way out if Alpha couldn't break through the teleportation barrier, and if something was wrong with her... _Don't even go there, Tommy Oliver, don't invite more trouble than you already have!_

"Headache," she told him, touching where she'd hit her head on the computer desk, diving after Sheena. _And being short on sleep doesn't help either. We've got to get Sheena and get out of here! _ "I'll be all right, the important thing is to find Sheena." 

Billy nodded as they started to move slowly through the hallways. They hadn't been able to pin down Sheena's precise location, other than the dungeons in the palace. Rather than shift straight there, they'd arrived just outside that area, hoping to avoid any nasty surprises Mondo might have set up. Now, they had to slowly make their way through to wherever the Silver Ranger was. Billy closed his eyes briefly, sending his thoughts forging ahead, trying to connect to Sheena. "Anything?" Tommy whispered after a moment. Billy shook his head. 

"She's trapped in Kahva Kilanye's last memories," Kahva reminded them. "We just have to hope..." Her voice trailed off, none of them wanted to face what could happen when those memories reached their end. 

For a few silent moments, they prowled through the dungeons, quiet as could be, until they reached a long stretch of cells. Billy reflected for a moment on what Kahva Kilanye had told him several months ago, then sucked in his breath. "This is where the first Rangers were held prisoner," he whispered. "And this is where Sheena is." 

Tommy's eyes narrowed as Billy spoke. "Let's find her, then," the Red Ranger spoke quietly. "Before Klank gets here with that potion." 

Unspoken among them all was the hope that he hadn't beaten them there.

* * *

Mondo watched, Klank by his side, ready to inject the mind control potion the moment Sheena emerged from the dreaming trance. His majordomo wasn't certain just what effect the potion, mixed with whatever had caused Sheena's dreams and zone outs, would cause, and Mondo wanted absolutely no slip-ups on this. He would have the Silver Ranger once and for all, no going back, no matter what happened. "How much longer, Klank?" he rumbled. "I'm tired of waiting, wake her up and give her the potion already!" 

"Sire, I can't do that," Klank said, shuffling back a bit as he did so. He'd been through enough damage that day, more than enough! "I dinna know how to break the cycle of dreams she's in!" 

Mondo raised his staff, about to blast Klank, when suddenly three figures ran into the cell. "Ah, the Rangers!" He turned his attention to them then, for which Klank was profoundly grateful! It was safe to say the majordomo had never been so glad to see the forces of good arrive. _Someone for King Mondo to beat on besides me for a change, thank the Assembler! Three someones to keep him from hitting me, thank you!_ "So glad you could join us!" Mondo's gloat brought Klank's attention back to the situation at hand. 

"Let Sheena go, Mondo!" Billy hissed, eyes more on the comatose woman lying on a pile of rotting straw than on the King of the Machine Empire. "You are not going to control her!" _Oh, please, God, let her still be free! Let Klank not have given it to her yet!_

Kahva stayed behind Tommy and Billy, trying to remain unnoticed as she slipped closer and closer to Sheena. _If I can get to her, then the guys can get to me, and we can all get out of here! _ Her plan didn't quite work however, as the Cogs noticed her and charged, joined moments later by several more of their clanking companions. Kahva was hard-pressed to defend herself as she was quickly being surrounded. _Man, I need a weapon, I really wish I had my quarterstaff, broken or not!_

"Sheena!" she heard Billy cry out, and spared a glance to see that the Silver Ranger had stopped breathing. _Oh God, no! Don't let this happen, please, don't let it happen! Why? WHY?_ Even as her heart dropped in despair, Kahva took out a sword-wielding Cog, claiming his weapon for her own. _We're too late!_ Despair quickly changed to anger, which she channeled into every kick, punch and slash she leveled at any Cog nearby. _You're gonna pay for this, Mondo! _her mind screamed at him. _If it kills me, you are going to PAY!_

Mondo's triumphant, grating laughter rang throughout the room. "The Silver Ranger is gone! I would have preferred keeping her as my own warrior, of course, but this is just as good! Now Harvox, come out and teach these Rangers a final lesson! Show them that they cannot win against King Mondo!" 

Out of the shadows lurched a dragon-like creature Billy would have given a great deal never to see again. Once more he was facing the Harvox: but this time, Sheena wasn't going to be taking out the monster to save him. This time, he was facing the monster with Tommy, and his precious Sheena was locked up in his ancestor's former cell, her eyes closed in the sleep of death. _For you_, he sent, even though he knew she wouldn't hear him ever again. The Sapphire Ranger growled under his breath, his heart breaking even as he did so. "For you, Sheena," he whispered. "I love you." 

Chaos took over then. Kahva was kept busy with Cogs, while Tommy and Billy did their best to deal with Harvox. Mondo and Klank stayed to the side, enjoying the battle that would soon give them three new prisoners and potential slaves. The fighting continued as the three humans fought hard, and bravely, pushing themselves past their exhaustion with sheer will-power, and a need to avenge the young woman they loved so dearly. The battle consumed everyone's attentions... 

Every last one of them ignored the pile of straw where Sheena lay...

* * *

_Kahva Kilanye emerged from her body, and looked around. It was all over, and it was all just beginning at the same time. She chuckled to herself as Vile entered the tower prison, roaring in outrage over her death. Her ghostly eyes narrowed as he cast a spell to preserve her mortal form, to be forever untouched by decay as long as it remained there in the cell, or until he removed the spell himself. He would likely have some foul use for her body, but there was nothing she could do now but wait and watch. At least he would never have control of her soul, he would never be able to use her to harm the innocent. He could never use her to harm her friends... or her love, Silias. Her friends were left with life, Vile with an enspelled corpse and defeat. But for herself, there was nothing left but the wait. _

So many long centuries to wait. She closed her eyes and mentally traced her family tree as it would spring from her grandchildren. Her granddaughter would found the line that would lead to her heir, she could sense that. And there... shock filled the warrior. 

"Fifteen thousand years," she whispered in amazement, though none was there who could see or hear her. "So long to wait." 

And wait she did. She watched as her family spread across first the planet, then to other worlds, other galaxies... and finally... as the time passed and drew near... forced to another dimension. Kahva Kilanye watched in heartbroken agony as years later, back in this dimension, history almost repeated itself: and the Silver Ranger served evil. 

Then, with the help of the last descendant of the Sapphire line, descended from her own love Silias Spartus, Sheena Devereaux shattered the control of evil, and won back her freedom, joining the true Power Rangers at last. At that moment of freedom, Kahva granted her not only the powers of the Silver Ranger, but all her own memories, in a desperate attempt to save her from a fate an ancient foe had planned out for her. 

Then a year and a half later, something happened. The memories began to surface in her descendant's dreams, and briefly flashed into her waking life as well. Those manifested themselves as periods of vagueness, or 'zone outs' as they were called by Sheena and the other Rangers in their vain attempts to discover what was going on. These episodes began to endanger not only Sheena herself, but her friends and husband as well. 

Kahva wished she could appear to Sheena, but could not; her path was barred by magic both old and new. Now, once more in the palace where she had given up her life, Kahva watched as the last of her memories of life played out in Sheena's mind, and the spell that barred her from appearing vanished with them. She knew who had cast the spell, and that it was his spell which had caused the zone outs'. But trapped by his own lust and desire, he had ended the spell, to keep Sheena from zoning out' anymore. He did not wish for her to remain vulnerable to Mondo, or anyone else. Kahva Kilanye chuckled softly, for now, there was a chance her descendant would discover his identity, and all his plans would be ruined. "I can't tell her who you are, your magic has managed to block me from doing that somehow... but my memories will reveal everything to her. You shall not have her," she muttered softly, feeling his presence in the dungeon, though now long gone. "Next time, my former friend, next time..." 

All thoughts of him were banished as she saw her namesake valiantly fight her way to the cell where Sheena's unmoving form lay. A plan formed, and a smile that hadn't crossed her features since she last had lived reappeared: the smile of a warrior. 

"Two for the price of one. The forces of evil shall rue this day for a long time to come."

* * *

"Out of my way!" Kahva Briton yelled, every word punctuated with a punch, kick, or swipe with the heavy Cog sword in her hands. It was taking every bit of strength she had to fight, both mental and physical. Her thoughts were occupied not with conscious thoughts of vengeance or justice, but, _Kick! Punch! Swing! Duck!_ Move! as she forced her exhausted body to move, pushing herself beyond her endurance. She had no real physical strength left, sheer willpower and a fierce determination was what was keeping her going. She knew Billy and Tommy weren't much better off, as out of the corner of her eye she saw them fighting a multi-headed dragon-like creature, which was spitting blue flame at them. Their actions were fatigue-dulled as well, none of them had the strength needed to win this battle... but they continued to fight, none of them were willing to stop. 

Kahva heard metallic steps behind her and whirled about to face the threat, but a blow to her back sent her to her knees. She tried to get up, but her arms and legs wouldn't move anymore, no matter how much her mind screamed at them to simply do _something._ Kahva looked at the still form of her old friend locked up in Silias Spartus' old cell and nearly cried. _I'm sorry Sheena, I tried, we tried, I'm sorry..._

Without her commanding them, Kahva's arms suddenly flew behind her, wielding the sword and neatly cutting an advancing Cog in half, then her legs gathered themselves beneath her and pushed off against the floor, shooting her into the air, somersaulting over the Cogs trying to advance on her. She found herself hacking through the lock on the cell door, then turning about to slash at the Cogs yet again. _How... Who! You!_

_Yes, I am here,_ the voice assured her. _Together, we can turn the odds back in our favor, may I stay here?_

Kahva twirled about, taking out three Cogs with a single strike of her sword, a strength she'd never thought to ever feel filling her... and a wild hope, as understanding sank in. A _ki-see_ toss, enhanced with the voice's strength, that sent a Cog flying through the air provided the answer. 

_I thought you'd never ask,_ Kahva grinned. _Let's teach these metal idiots not to mess with the Silver Ranger, or her friends, shall we? _

We shall indeed...

* * *

Fighting. She heard fighting, the sounds of battle. Sheena opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a Cog sneaking up on Tommy. Her cousin was too busy fighting off yet another Harvox monster, probably built by Mondo, to notice. _Sheesh, can't he be original?_ she thought as she slowly made her way to her feet. _The cell door lock has been cut?_ she noticed with a start. _How? What has happened here?_ Then a rush of pure power infused her, and she smiled. _I'll figure that one out later. I can touch my powers, I'm awake, and the cycle of dreams is over, at least for now, I can feel it!. Time to get back on the job. _

"Tommy! Cog, behind you!" she snapped. The Red Ranger reacted automatically, slamming his fist behind him into the creature's midsection without looking. He whirled around to see Sheena standing there, eyes bright with life, joy and sense, and he smiled under his helmet. 

"No!" Mondo roared, smoke starting to billow from his neck. "This isn't happening!" He couldn't believe his eyes as Sheena somehow came back to life, and was now standing near her cousin and husband, almost _laughing_ at him! "Klank, the serum!" 

Before Klank could step forward though, Sheena had launched into a powerful _ki-see_ maneuver that ended up shattering the syringe and spilling the viscous green liquid all over the floor. "I really hope that isn't expensive," she said mockingly. A moment later, she was screaming as Harvox soared past Tommy and Billy both to land on top of her, its fangs seeking to sink into her unprotected neck. 

"Sheena!" she heard Billy's cry as she fought with the dragon-like creature, seeking to keep away from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she managed to see both he and Tommy trying to get to her, only to be intercepted by more Cogs. She could hear Mondo's cold laughter, then a sudden, enraged growl. There was a slight stinging sensation in her neck, and then in the next moment, the Harvox was off her, and Kahva was standing there, giving her a hand up. 

"Kahva," the Silver Ranger tried to catch her breath. "You shouldn't have..." Her voice trailed off as she gazed into the face of her friend, her sister... and into the soul of her ancestor. "Kahva Kilanye." 

"Yes," the first Silver Ranger nodded, her voice mixed with her soul-sister's. "Kahva Briton has permitted me to share her body for this; you will need all the help you can get against this creature. Now, shall we show this thing the power of silver?" they asked in unison. 

Sheena smiled. "Let's do it." She took a deep breath, and focused her thoughts for the first time in close to a month. "Silver Ranger Power!" three voices cried out. 

Tommy and Billy, still dealing with the Cogs, could not, did not, believe their eyes. Two Silver Rangers stood side by side, identical Silver Swords in their hands, then they were circling Harvox and fighting with him. Although around one the costume and sword seemed a bit more ethereal than the other, it was still an incredible sight to behold. And so far as they knew, an impossible sight. 

"Klank!" Mondo roared. "Tell me this isn't happening! It can't be, there can't be two Silver Rangers! And Sheena was supposed to be dead, what's going on here?" 

"I dinna know, sire!" Klank prudently got out of reach of his master's rage before answering. Mondo snarled at his lackey's ignorance. 

"You've won this round, Rangers, but I will return, count on it!" he declared, not caring they were too busy fighting to notice, then left, taking Klank with him. Sheena, her senses hyper-aware in the height of battle, was the only one who saw him go, and she smiled to herself. _Sure you will, Mondo. And we'll be waiting for you, like always. **I'll** be waiting for you, count on **that**!_

Tommy threw yet another Cog out of his way, then realized there were at last no more, he and Billy had finally managed to get through them all. "Let's get over there; they need our help!" was all he said to Billy, only to find the Sapphire Ranger was already on the way. Together, the Sapphire and Red Rangers entered the fight with the Silver ones. 

Sheena's eyes flicked from her battle companions to the monster, keeping an eye on its every move as it searched for another one of them to attack. _This one is much stronger than the last one Mondo made, and smarter, too._ As it moved, she spied its weakness; a bare spot on the neck. _Kahva and I can't do it, we're the only ones strong enough to get it off someone if it jumps on them. Billy doesn't have a weapon, other than his blaster... Tommy's Zeo Sword. And he's more than good enough to do this._ "Tommy!" she snapped. "There's an unprotected spot on the back of his neck, we'll distract him, you get in there and dismantle it from there!" 

"You got it!" Tommy had his sword out a moment later, and as the other three dodged around, keeping its attention, he leapt onto the Harvox's metallic back. "Been nice knowing you, but you've got to go!" Despite being bucked around as if he were on a bucking bronco, the Red Ranger managed to drive the blade straight into the monster. Sparks and wires flew everywhere as he leapt off, breathless with exertion. The four of them shielded their eyes as the last incarnation of the Harvox exploded into a tiny pile of scrap metal. 

"Good hit, Tommy," Sheena told him. She could feel the smile in his eyes, hidden by his helmet, then they all felt the familiar pull of teleportation. They were going home.

* * *

"You guys are okay!" several voices shouted in an unruly, but gleeful chorus. The other Rangers had dealt with Mondo's Cog army, and had been waiting for them when they finally arrived, once Alpha broke through the barrier. But the very last thing they'd expected to see was _two_ Silver Rangers appearing in the teleportation streams. "What happened up there?" Jason asked. One of the Silver Rangers seemed perfectly normal, the other seemed to be shimmering, for lack of a better term. 

Sheena slowly slid her helmet off, and glanced over to the other Silver Ranger. "Nothing much, I finally have my mind back, I think, and Mondo is probably spewing out all the oil in his system back in the Skybase, not to mention blowing every gasket he's got. The guys and Kahva fought a bunch of Cogs, and we all fought another incarnation of the Harvox... with a little bit of help," she smiled as she powered down, still looking at the other Silver Ranger. They all caught their breath as they got a good look at Sheena, she was plainly exhausted, and her appearance made it obvious to them that she had been put through an emotional wringer. They looked at each other in relief though; this was most _definitely_ Sheena, as they had so seldom seen her the past week, not caught in a dream or flashback or zone out, or anything. Tired and worn out she may be, but she was their old friend again. 

Jason hesitantly walked over to the one whose uniform seemed to shimmer and stared at her for several seconds before daring to speak. "Kahva?" he asked, when he finally found his voice again. 

Sheena giggled at the awed tone in his voice, she couldn't help herself. "Yes and yes," she answered him. Then even she found herself awestruck with everyone else, as the Silver Ranger' answered Jason themselves. 

"We are here," they replied gently, their mixed voices sounding bell-like, and echoing slightly. Jason looked near to fainting for a few moments, then he composed himself. This wasn't something any of them had thought could possibly happen: both Kahva Kilanye and Kahva Briton were present at the same time in Kahva Briton's body... and apparently morphed into the form of the first Silver Ranger. 

"Kahva Kilanye," Jason breathed softly. "And... Kahva? But how?" 

_I am much stronger than I was the last time you saw me, Jason,_ the first Silver Ranger's voice sounded alone this time. _Though to have a physical impact on the living I still must have a host, this time I did not need to draw on Kahva's strength. This time I could use my own, and I was able to give Kahva some of it as well, to enable her to continue on in the fight. She helped me the last time, it was only right that I helped her this time, and it was also my honor to help her, and to fight alongside three other Rangers in the process._

Jason's voice still showed a trace of nervousness, and his unhidden concern about his friend. "I don't want this to sound bad, but... are you going to stay here, in Kahva's body?" 

The first Silver Ranger smiled underneath the ethereal helmet, as did Kahva Briton. "No, I'm/she's not," they replied in unison. _We realize that the nature of this possession must be a trifle unnerving for all of you. Jason,_ Kahva Kilanye continued once again on her own, _Kahva will be weak when I leave her, please be ready to catch her. She will need rest, to recover from the possession, and from a serious shortage of sleep these past few days._ The Rangers caught their breath as Kahva Kilanye first powered down', leaving only the body of Kahva Briton standing there, looking banged up, rumpled and bruised, but otherwise uninjured. Then her entire body glowed as the ghost emerged from her, and Kahva Kilanye came to stand beside Sheena. Their Kahva promptly collapsed as the energy which had sustained her over the past several minutes was suddenly gone, and her fatigue overwhelmed her with a rush. Jason was hard pressed to catch her before she hit the floor. After assuring herself that her former host would be all right, the first Silver Ranger turned to the present one, regret and sadness in her ethereal voice. _ Sheena._ Everyone glanced to the ghost as she placed a hand on Sheena's shoulder. _I am sorry I did not come to you sooner, but I could not._

Before her ancestor could speak again, Sheena's eyes flashed with an angry light. "Why did you give me those memories? Did you know what they would do, that they would nearly cause me to die? Do you know how close I came to serving Mondo, _twice?_" 

_No, I didn't know any of those things, events have transpired here that were beyond my influence,_ Kahva Kilanye replied firmly. _But even if I had, I still would have given them to you, for there will come a time very soon when you will **need** those memories of my life._

Sheena shook her head, interrupting the ghost. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I made a decision on this as soon as I realized what was going on, once I woke up from _your_ death memories." 

The first Silver Ranger seemed to sense what Sheena had in mind, and tried to dissuade her heir._ I came here only to help, and I gave you those memories only to help. I did not know my memories in you would take you so badly, Sheena, I am truly sorry. Sheena, my memories are a part of you, don't be afraid of them, the ghost implored her. Accept them, and they will not overwhelm you. Deny them, and you **will** lose control one day. _ But the past several days had made Sheena too scared to take anymore chances, had made her too scared to believe her ancestor. _They are a part of you, but they are not you. You are who you are, believe in that and yourself. You are, and have always been, Sheena Devereaux. Accept who you are, Sheena, and you will be whole. _ Silence reigned as everyone waited to see how Sheena would respond to the ghost's plea. 

"What are you going to do?" Billy finally asked quietly. Sheena smiled a little as she looked to him, Kahva Briton, and Tommy. The three of them were every bit as worn out as she was; if not more so. 

"I'm going to bury those memories, seal them off from my mind," she told them, looking back at Kahva Kilanye with steel in her eyes and voice. "Put them so deep into my subconscious that there is _nothing_ that can be done to bring them back up. I'd get rid of them entirely if I could. But I can't do that, can I?" 

The ghost shook her head, evident pain in her eyes. _Sheena, I gave you those memories, not just out of need, but out of love,_ she said. _I never meant for them to hurt you or anyone else like this, and I am more sorry than you can imagine. But please don't bury them,_ she requested of the young woman one last time. _ I swear by all I hold dear you will need them one day, but I cannot tell you why._

"Can't or won't?" The Rangers were shocked to hear the slight waspishness in their friend's voice. 

_Can't,_ the first Silver Ranger said firmly. _I would if I could, but I can't. I'm sorry._

Sheena sighed deeply. "I guess I'll have to accept that. But I'm still going to bury them; I can't risk that they'll flare up again, and cause me to hurt someone," _or cause me to lose control again. Never again. Never again. _

If that is what you wish. Kahva Kilanye knew she couldn't stop her. _I truly am sorry. _

Sheena nodded to the ghost and took a deep breath, but before she could do anything else, a tired, irritated, and concerned voice came from Jason's arms. 

"Sheena, didn't you hear anything that Kahva just told you? You can't go around denying what is part of you, you'll never get rid of the nightmares, and you'll be vulnerable to Mondo, Vile, and God knows who else until you accept who you are, and everything that comes with that!" 

"Kahva, please," Sheena started. 

But Kahva's mild anger had given her a slight burst of strength as she wriggled out of Jason's arms and forced him to put her down. She stalked, staggering as she did so, over to her soul-sister. "You are Sheena Devereaux Cranston, and you can't change that. Sheena, we've been friends for too long, I don't want to lose you. You're my sister, if I lost you, I don't know what I'd do. I would probably lose my mind. But until you start to deal with your fears, I'm afraid that one day I _am_ going to lose you. And I can't deal with that. Listen to what she's saying!" Kahva begged, pointing to the ghost floating just off to the side of Sheena. "Don't do this, please," she finished, her irritation spent, and her spurt of energy with it. Kahva Briton's face fell as she realized Sheena had made up her mind, and nothing short of a God or Goddess appearing right then and there in the Power Chamber was going to stop her, or change her mind. Wearily, she turned back to Jason, sinking into his arms as he scooped her up again. She was far too tired to argue over, or fight over, what was a losing battle. 

Kahva Kilanye floated over to Kahva Briton, the mood of the room lightening a little as she did so. _ Thank you for the use of your body,_ she told the young woman. _We could not have defeated Harvox without you._

Kahva blushed a deep red and shook her head. "You were the one doing the fighting," she pointed out with a yawn she could no longer hold back. The ghost chuckled a little. 

_As much as I would like to remain here to convince you of the truth, I cannot,_ she told them. _I can no longer stay for long outside of the realms of the afterlife, and came only to aid you when your memories came to their end, Sheena. We will meet again, though. Farewell, my beloved Sheena, and please watch out for yourself._ She floated over to Sheena, and as much as a ghost could, she hugged her, then went over to her namesake and hugged her. The first Silver Ranger vanished before farewells could be spoken to her. Sheena let out a long breath, almost collapsing against the console as she did so. Alpha, who had been scanning Kahva to make sure she had suffered no ill effects from her temporary possession, rushed over to her. 

."Ay-yi-yi, Sheena, what happened to your neck?" the little robot asked. Sheena reached up to touch it lightly, and frowned as she came away with a streak of blood on her fingers. 

"Harvox must have scraped me, I felt something just when Kahva... the Kahvas... whatever," she smiled a little, "pulled it away from me. It's not a bad cut, is it?" As Alpha shook his head, and went to get something to bandage it with, Sheena glanced around to the others and apologized for her recent actions. 

"Hey, it's okay," Kat told her. "It wasn't really all your fault." She glanced to the others for their agreement, which wasn't at all slow in coming. 

Sheena smiled. "Thanks, guys." She managed to halt a yawn just then, and noticed just about everyone else looked every bit as worn out as she was. "I vote we all spend the night here in the Power Chamber, if we can," she sighed. "Because I, for one, do _not_ feel up to teleporting back to our place, Billy." 

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Adam said through a yawn of his own; he had never fought so many Cogs! They were just lucky Mondo hadn't sent down a monster; he didn't know if they could have dealt with one in their condition at the moment. 

Once Alpha had bandaged Sheena's neck, she sat up a little straighter. "Time to deal with this," she sighed as she closed her eyes. The Rangers, Kahva, Zordon, and Alpha watched as she entered a trance with practiced ease. For several long, agonizing moments, she stood there, barely breathing, perfectly still. 

_I hope she knows what she's doing,_ Kahva thought through her sleep-deprived mind. She'd better not hurt herself. 

"Sheena," Billy whispered under his breath, eyes fixed on his beloved. _Be safe, Sheena. Please, be safe and be careful._

Sheena opened her eyes, and smiled broadly a moment later. "It's done," was all she said before practically collapsing into Billy's arms. "Billy," she murmured, sensing he wouldn't be able to hold her for long. He was as tired as she was. "Let's go to bed." 

"You know it." Supporting each other, they headed down to the personal quarters, the Rangers in a ragged row behind them. Kahva and Jason were the last ones to leave the main chamber, as he insisted on carrying her to her room in spite of her protests that she could walk there on her own. Kahva leaned into his chest, watching her friends separate as they all reached the wing of personal quarters. 

_I'm glad Sheena's all right at last,_ she thought. _I just hope we've seen the last of these zone outs. And I hope she won't regret burying those memories, I really wish she hadn't done that. But I can't control her... I can keep a close eye on her though. Kahva said that there was time coming when Sheena would need those memories... and I'm going to be watching out for whatever it is. Nothing, and no one is going to take Sheena from us, not if I can help it. _Kahva fell asleep even as Jason laid her on her bed.

* * *

"KLAAAAANNNK!" Mondo's voice echoed throughout the entire Skybase. But Klank had wisely turned off his audio receptors temporarily. If he hadn't he risked Mondo's volume shattering them, if the vibration of the floor was any indication of the loudness. So happily oblivious to whatever his master might be screaming, Klank set about to beaming back the monster and Cog remains from their lost battle at the Lunar Palace. 

_I'd hoped you would be salvageable,_ he mourned over the few recognizable pieces of the Harvox. Hefting a fang in his hands, he wondered if perhaps some of the scraps could be incorporated into another monster, or used as spare parts. A dark stain on the pointed edge of the tooth caught his eye just as he was about to throw the part away. Could it be? Klank went to a nearby console and in large print typed in "SIRE, I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU," and sent it to the viewing screen in the throne room. He knew it would be several minutes before his master calmed down enough to see the message, and then make his way to the lab. 

He guessed correctly. Some fifteen minutes later, King Mondo stormed into the lab, still spewing oil, sparks and smoke from every possible opening and joint on his body. Before he could screech out a demand for an explanation from Klank, the majordomo calmly put the fang in his king's hand, making sure to point out the stain. "Just a trace sire, just a trace... but enough for us to work with." 

Mondo stared at the length of tapered steel in his hands, and slowly the oil, smoke and sparks subsided. "You're sure about this, Klank?" 

"Absolutely, my liege." Mondo looked down at his main servant and for the first time in his mechanical existence, actually smiled, at least what would pass for a smile amongst mechanicals. He handed the fang back to Klank and happily waddled off to find his Queen Machina; he was in the mood for a celebration now. Klank watched him leave, then carefully scraped off the stain from the fang to save it for further testing. Though they had lost their prize this time, the day hadn't been a total loss. 

In fact, it had been surprisingly productive...

* * *

He stood silently and watched Sheena's empty home. _ I thought I might find you here, _a voice he hadn't heard in over fifteen millennia floated tightly over his shoulder. _They aren't coming home tonight, she is safe from you, and always will be. _

He laughed as he turned, his fiery ice blue eyes locking onto Kahva Kilanye's ghostly form. "She may be safe for now, but I will have her. I trust Mondo did not injure her?" 

_Such false concern. No, Mondo did not injure her, she and her friends and her **husband,**_ the ghost emphasized the word, _are all quite safe, if exhausted. They are all safe from Mondo, and Sheena is safe from you._

"For now," he admitted. "It kills you that you can't even speak my name to her, doesn't it? No pun intended, my dead Lady Ranger. Have you ever wondered why you can't tell her or anyone about me, and haven't been able to for over fifteen thousand years?" 

_Your vile' magic, no doubt. Of that I'm certain... no pun intended, my former friend._

"Don't you dare to speak his name in my presence!" he raged at the ghost. 

_What are you going to do, kill me? You tried that before and failed, if you care to recall. You were the one who blasted Teranoc into ashes for striking me, remember? I certainly remember that you were trying to kill Olina._

"Well let's see just how good your memory is then, Kahva Kilanye," he growled. "Do you remember the bracelet I sent you as a late wedding gift?" He chuckled as by her reaction he could tell she did. "That bracelet placed a spell on you that not even your death could break. The spell that will keep you from ever speaking my name, or from saying anything at all about me, until the day one of your descendants learns of me by their own actions, and discovers our past. Your heir, Sheena, won't find out in time. You can trust me on that, my dear Kahva." 

_You can't keep her from remembering, surely you know that by now! Look at everything that has happened since you attempted to keep her from remembering her dreams, my memories! You kept me from appearing to her to help her understand she wasn't losing her mind, and you made her an easy target for Mondo in the process! You nearly lost that which you claim to love! Though your actions have driven her to bury my memories deep inside herself, they are still with her, and no one can ever take them away from her, not even you. You shall never have her, I promise you that._ Kahva Kilanye paused long enough to glare at her former childhood friend for a few moments. _ You fool, you know nothing of love, and you never will, because all you know is possession! Love knows when to hold on and when to let go; love gives, it doesn't steal and covet. Until you learn that, you are doomed to wander the universe, a bitter, lonely, pathetic little creature. You will never know true, lasting love from anyone, because you don't know how to love._ With that, the ghost of the first Silver Ranger faded away, unable to remain away from the realm of the afterlife any longer. 

He turned and looked into his crystal, casting a spell that would let him see into the next twenty four hours. He could see the Rangers all arriving at their homes, well-rested. He saw the Gold Ranger accepting an apology from his girlfriend for the way she had been behaving lately. He saw the Pink and Red Rangers enjoying a relaxing morning sail on the lake in the park. He saw the Yellow and Green Rangers roller-blading in the park, holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. He saw the Blue Ranger being smitten by love as he finally asked out a young woman from one of his classes to a movie for that night. He did not see any sign of their mysterious friend who had been Sheena's maid of honor, the child with the old power. _She is of no consequence to me,_ he thought. _She can't stop me, none of them can! It doesn't matter whether I know what she looks like, or what her name is... none of them matter, they can't stop me! _

Then he saw his target and her infuriating husband arrive back where he presently was: the cabin. He saw them happily run inside, acting very much like newlyweds. He saw a brief flash of concern from the Sapphire Ranger as he questioned Sheena on whether she should have buried Kahva Kilanye's memories or not. He saw Sheena assure him she had done the right thing. "I have seen enough," he said to himself, ending the spell. He smiled and laughed, shouting in triumph. "She is mine, Kilanye! Do you hear me from the afterlife? Sheena is _mine_!" he gloated. As he flexed his magic and slowly teleported himself away, he indulged himself, fantasizing about what was yet to come. 

"Yes, Sheena, bury those memories deep, deep, deep... Without them, no one can stop me from getting who I want: you. You are now mine for the taking, thank you, my dear," he laughed. "We will be together forever very soon, my darling." 

_Very soon indeed..._

**To Be Continued**


	9. Silver and Sapphire

**Silver and Sapphire  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

"I never realized just how much stuff was stored in here, Billy!" Kahva pulled out another box of old gadgets and equipment, barely holding back a sneeze as the dust stirred up her allergies. The Sapphire Ranger flashed her a sheepish grin. 

"Neither did I!" 

Adam's teasing voice floated into the room at that point, followed by the Green Zeo Ranger himself. "Ah, you haven't been here long enough to learn that Billy's a packrat!" 

"I am not!" Billy protested, still grinning. It was true, though, he'd hardly thrown anything away that he had made since becoming a Ranger. 

Kahva pulled a spray can out of the box she was looking in, and sneezed at the dust cloud that small action stirred up. "Oh, really?" she half-smiled, suppressing a giggle. "Are you quite sure about that?" 

"Well..." 

"Be honest, Billy!" Adam laughed. Billy threw up his hands in surrender. 

"Okay, okay, I'm a packrat!" he admitted. Kahva grinned a little, then held up the can she was looking at. 

"So that would explain this can, I guess. Is it any good anymore, or does it need to be thrown out?" She held it up so her two partners in cleaning could see it. She didn't expect the strange looks on their faces as they saw it, though. 

Billy sighed deeply, his smile fading. "I'd forgotten that was in here," he said. Adam nodded. 

"So had I." 

Kahva frowned a little, afraid she had somehow done something wrong. "Oookay," she said nervously. "I'll just put this back where I found it and we'll pretend this didn't happen then." 

Billy moved to stop her as she reached to put it back in the box. "No Kahva, don't," he smiled a trifle. "It's okay, really. We owe that can a lot." 

"You owe a can?" Kahva asked, puzzled. "Should I even ask what that means?" 

"That's the can that contains the spray that helped bring Sheena back to us that first time Mondo had her," Billy explained. 

"This is the spray that broke the mind control potion's hold on her?" Kahva stared at the small can she held in wonder. Billy gave a small smile and nodded. 

"Sort of," he told her. "It wiped her memory, and then I was able to link with her mind and trigger her full memories, so she could use the Silver Flame to get rid of the potion." 

Kahva raised an eyebrow, her curiosity thoroughly piqued. "Sounds like a really good story. So who gets to tell me?" she inquired expectantly, looking from one young man to the other. Adam nodded for Billy to do the honors. 

"Well," Billy started with a deep breath, casting his thoughts back to that day so long ago. That fateful day when the lives of the Rangers had changed forever... When his life in particular changed dramatically. "It all got started when we first heard of a Silver Ranger..."

* * *

_Alpha scanned the entire planet over and over, trying to track down where the Cogs had appeared. The Rangers sat together, quietly discussing the new Ranger. As they did, Adam glanced over to see Billy staring into the viewing globe almost mindlessly. _

"Billy?" He went over to his friend, and glanced into the globe. Frozen within it was the image of the new Silver Ranger that Zordon had shown them not long before. "Earth to Billy, are you okay, man?" 

"Hmmm? What?" Billy glanced up at Adam's voice. 

"Are you okay?" the Green Ranger asked. "You didn't seem to be here with us just then." 

"I wasn't," Billy gestured to the viewing globe. "I was thinking about her." 

"The new Silver Ranger? Yeah, we're all worried about what Mondo might do to her," Adam stated. "And the longer she's with him, the more damage he and Klank can do. 

"It's more than just that," Billy shook his head. "Adam, it's something much more than that. for me, at least," he paused for a moment. "I - I love her." 

"You what?" Adam couldn't believe his ears, this was calm, logical, always looking before leaping Billy, suddenly declaring he was in love with a total stranger. 

"I love her," Billy repeated. "I've dreamed about her all my life, literally." 

Adam took a deep breath, not quite sure how to handle this little bombshell. "How do you know you love the real woman, not the dream? A dream and reality can be completely different, Billy." 

"I know they can be different," Billy said softly. "I don't know how I know I love her, I just do. I can feel it in every part of me." Billy sighed and gazed longingly at the image in the viewing globe. "I love her," he repeated simply. 

Adam had never seen that look on Billy's face before. His friend was completely sure of himself. "Then when we get her back, I think you and this new Ranger need to have a serious conversation. You need to find out if what you feel is real, and you need to find out just what she feels." 

"I know," Billy nodded, then sighed deeply. "I know her face, I've known it all my life. I just wish I had a name to go with it." 

"Once we find her, that's the first thing we're going to ask her." Adam smiled a little, feeling much better when he saw Billy doing the same. 

"What would have you said, Adam, if I had ever told you I was in love with a woman in my dreams?" 

Adam grinned. "I would've said you were a bit crazy," he replied, glancing at the image in the viewing globe. "But the more I look at her, the more I have to admit, I can't really blame you!" Adam paused for a moment. The question had to be raised, no matter how much the answer might hurt Billy. "What are you going to do if she... ummm... doesn't feel the exact same way about you?" 

Billy sighed again, a long and depressing sound. "I don't know, Adam. Probably be extremely depressed, to say the least. I just don't know, all I can do is follow my heart and hope for the best. I have to hope she loves me too, because right now, I can't imagine going through the rest of my life not knowing her as at least a friend." 

Adam put an arm around Billy's shoulders. "Whatever happens, Billy, we're your friends, and we are always here for you. I'm here for you, whenever you need to talk, okay?" 

"Thanks, Adam," Billy smiled and nodded. "Thanks a lot." 

"What are friends for?" Adam had grinned before walking back over to the others. But even after Adam's reassurance, Billy felt his emotions tearing him apart. 

"What if we can't get her away from Mondo, what if she already serves him? Sweet Jesus, what am I going to do if I have to live without her in my life?" Billy didn't dare to share any of this with the Rangers just yet though, because even for all of his celebrated knowledge, he had absolutely no answers for the questions which tormented his heart and soul.

* * *

Billy felt the love pouring through him and from him, the pure, unrestrained emotion, unhindered by any possible uncertainty or misunderstanding. Pure, true love filled him, and flowed from him. In that one moment, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this woman, this Sheena Devereaux, was more than just someone he had dreamed about, more than someone he loved. She was his true soulmate, his friend, his beloved. The one who knew the inside of his mind as well as he knew hers, the one who would always be there for him, as he would always be there for her. "Together forever, forever together," the words flitted through his mind. 

It was time to get her free from Mondo's control, with two simple words. 

"Sheena Devereaux!" he screamed her name to the stars. As it had when she had first taken the power into herself, time seemed to stop. From somewhere in the vicinity of her heart, a pale light began to glow. Billy knew instinctively this was the Silver Flame, and he watched as it ran throughout all her being, finding the potion that bound her to Mondo's will and service, destroying it. She stood upright, her eyes gleaming like the greenest of new leaves, with no trace of red at all. 

"I am free."

* * *

Kahva stared at Billy, awestruck, once the tale was over. "Sheena never told me any of this, you guys really were made for each other!" 

Billy sighed. "Yeah, we were. I've always wondered what she felt during that, though." Billy gazed at the can in Kahva's hand, the love he felt for his wife shining in his eyes. "I've never asked her." 

Kahva smiled at the young man who was essentially her brother now, as well as best friend, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on his arm. "Knowing her, I'd lay odds that when you touched her, after Tommy had sprayed her, she felt almost exactly the same way you did: indescribably in love." 

A smile played on Billy's lips as he thought about it. "I certainly hope so," he said after a few moments. 

"Well, there's only one way to find out, you know!" 

"Ask her?" 

"Yup!" Kahva and Adam chorused. Billy chuckled a little. 

"I think I'll do that," he decided. "We're supposed to have lunch together today in the park. That might be the perfect time." 

Adam nodded. "I can't think of a better time or place, so it sounds like a plan to me!" As Kahva smiled and nodded, Adam continued, "So to answer Kahva's question before you leave for lunch; what should we do with the can?" 

"Put it somewhere safe," Billy decided. "Heck, maybe we should build a little museum for some of these things!" 

As Kahva put the can carefully on a medicine shelf, she nodded. "Maybe make another display case out in the main chamber for some of them? 'Things that have saved the Power Rangers', or something like that?" 

"Sounds good to me!" Billy beamed as he helped put the last few things away. _I can't wait to see Sheena this afternoon. We have a lot to talk about._

* * *

Sheena hummed a little to herself as she typed. _Going back home for a visit after Mondo's last stunt two weeks ago was just what I needed. It was just what Kahva needed too, the look on her face when Daniel surprised her at Jaycynda and Cindy's. I wish he could be here for the surprise we've got planned, but he's got that big audition. Kahva was so thrilled for him._ Sheena smiled; Billy had been able to come with them as well, making the trip back to their old dimension even more special. _Being alone with Billy, being around all my old friends, and three whole days knowing that Mondo was nowhere near felt so good! I just wish we could've stayed longer._ Yes, things had certainly calmed down considerably and had been more peaceful around her since she'd blocked off Kahva Kilanye's memories within her, Sheena decided. Still, her ancestor's assurances that she would need those memories one day still worried her on occasion. 

_Forget it!_ she snapped to herself. _You've got more important things to worry about,_ she thought, frowning at her computer screen. _Like how in the world I'm going to finish this story here._ Her head came up suddenly as a soft noise sounded behind her. Adrenaline filled her as she whirled, half-expecting to see Cogs there... 

And saw only the room as it had always been. She shook her head. _I'm just too jumpy when I'm alone. But it was JUST like this when the Cogs abducted me in my old apartment..._

Sheena had deliberately avoided thinking about that; about her abduction, then the first time she'd seen Mondo... and then Klank... the lab... the potion... but found she couldn't avoid the memories today.

* * *

_Klank looked at the young woman approvingly, noticing the red tinge to her eyes now. He made a note to himself to look into that, the potion had never had that effect on any other humans before. "Now for a little surprise for King Mondo." He turned back to the counter where his potions, drugs and devices were scattered everywhere and selected just the right one. Turning back to the proto-Silver Ranger, he shoved a vial at her. "Drink this!" he ordered. Without the slightest hesitation, she did so. _

Klank ran a quick scan on her after she'd taken the hormone potion, then nodded to himself. Her musculature and skeletal structure had been altered somewhat, on a rough scale he would say she was nearly twice as strong as she had been before. That would be something he would keep from Mondo, at least for now. A little surprise for his king, an enslaved Ranger who was as strong as all the others before and after being morphed. He laughed to himself. The forces of evil were going to win this day!

* * *

Sheena shuddered as she remembered how that second potion had tasted. It was vile to the extreme, a scorching liquid that had hurt to drink. Thankfully that hadn't needed to be burned out of her; it had worn off naturally without a second application of it. 

Sheena frowned a little, her nerves inexplicably on edge. She simply couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her. _I don't want to worry the others, though. Knowing my luck, it's probably just a stray cat or something._

A flicker of light from her computer caught her attention; she'd been idle for so long her screen saver had kicked in. _Well, whatever it is, I hope it's enjoying watching me pull this out of my brain. Back to work girl, this novel isn't going to write itself!_

* * *

He swore quietly to himself as he made certain the shadows hid him completely. _Blast it! I could've ruined everything! I forgot how sensitive her hearing is, and how jumpy she is when she is alone! Curse Mondo, that's his fault, it is!_ Calming himself, he sighed. _Well, she won't have to worry about dealing with him much longer. No, not much longer at all._

The wizard smiled as Sheena turned back to her computer. _Oh my lovely Sheena, you are so devoted to your craft, I could watch you for hours on end._ He laughed silently to himself. _In fact, I've been watching you from both near and far for just under a year now... but it is nearly time for the watching to go to another level. Before this day is over, you'll be watching your so-called love exit your life... and yourself entering mine... for all eternity._

His plans were finally complete, they needed only the last few details to be done with. Then she would be his. 

Forever.

* * *

Sheena worked over her keyboard, thinking, plotting and writing. But even as she worked, her thoughts were inexorably pulled back to that day, to something she'd never told the other Rangers about. 

To after she'd captured Billy. To when the first stirrings of love had nearly gotten her killed.

* * *

_The Silver Ranger stared incessantly at the sleeping human in the cell. Had her face been visible, it would have been marked with confusion and concern. She berated herself internally for this, why was she feeling so... so CARING for this human? _

She looked up as she heard the door to the prison area opening. As King Mondo entered, she leapt to her feet and bowed. "My lord, I await your commands," she snapped. 

"How is the human, Silver Ranger?" Mondo looked approvingly at his slave warrior. 

"He sleeps, master, and will continue to do so for the next few hours," she stated, unlocking the cell door and placing a canister of sleeping mist next to the prisoner, watching as he stirred briefly, trying to resist the gas even in semi-consciousness, then falling into a deeper sleep. After exiting the cell and locking the door, she glanced at this human, this Billy, feeling a strange fluttering in her heart as she did so. Without really knowing why, she whispered the command to power down, staring at him with a multitude of emotions tearing through her. 

Mondo glared at her suddenly. "Why did you power down? I gave you no orders to do so! What is the matter with you!" 

"I don't know, master," Sheena shook her head. "I just feel drawn to him, I feel something about him... for him..." She couldn't explain it at all. She looked up fearfully as Mondo seized her by one arm and dragged her out of the prison area, ordering several Cogs to take her place there. **Oh no, I knew I should not have demorphed! I have failed him! I have failed my master!**

Mondo viciously threw her against the wall outside the prison area and glared at her with all the evil in him. "How dare you feel anything for him? For anyone! You may feel NOTHING for anyone that I do not order, especially not the Power Rangers and their friends! You are to HATE them, is that understood? HATE!" He repeated the word several times, slapping her almost hard enough to break her neck. "Hate! Hate! HATE! You are to feel nothing, no emotions save that one!" 

Sheena shivered a little, as something flickered through her mind, an image of herself and the human prisoner, hand in hand, so very close to each other. "Not even love, my master? Not ever?" 

Mondo very nearly killed her then, right where she cowered before him. "Hah! Love! Of course not! It is a silly, useless human emotion, one you do not need! What makes you think you would ever want that anyway, you idiot?" he snorted. "It is a weak, pathetic emotion, for weakling humans like him!" he gestured back down the hallway to the holding cell where the unconscious Billy was still imprisoned. "You are my warrior, and my warriors are not weak! Weaklings are useless and have no value, remember that, Silver Ranger!" 

Sheena slowly made her way to her feet and bowed her head, not daring to look in her master's eyes without permission or command. "I will remember, my master," she replied, obediently powering back up at his command. 

"See that you do! Now come along. You have angered me severely, and you must earn my forgiveness." He practically dragged her away from the dungeon area, into a broad arena where a round dozen Cogs stood in a neat row. "You will fight these Cogs, the finest that have been built, to the death: yours or theirs, it doesn't matter which." 

The Silver Ranger nodded, pulling her sword out, only to have it slapped away. Although she would be allowed to stay morphed, she would have to fight this battle of redemption unarmed. Mondo shuffled off to be with his family to watch her battle, he would either regain a fine warrior slave, or be rid of a weakling idiot before long. Their voices sounded clearly as if she were next to them as she and the Cogs fought, their cold words burning their way into her mind, cutting her heart for some reason, even though she'd just clearly been told that she wasn't entitled to any feelings at all. Only humans could have emotions. She was simply a warrior, a thing created only to carry our her master's orders. Still, the words dug into her, crushing her heart as she dismantled one Cog after the other, following her orders like an obedient warrior slave should. 

"What did she do to anger you, my love?" Queen Machina was asking. "I thought she was the perfect slave." 

"Phagh!" Mondo spat oil out into the arena. "That stupid idiot! She was asking questions about LOVE!" Mondo shook his head. "I must talk to Klank about that; the potion should have destroyed all those foolish desires forever!" 

Machina chuckled wickedly. "How foolish of her to ever think that anyone could ever love her, that she could ever even deserve love! She isn't worthy of that, and never will be." 

"I have no idea!" Mondo watched with evil glee as Sheena continued to tear her way through the Cogs. She was definitely a magnificent warrior. "She's just a stupid slave... but a very powerful one. She will be the ultimate weapon to destroy the Rangers with." 

Long minutes passed as Sheena tore asunder every Cog that came up against her. Once she was done, she stood victorious in a pile of scrap metal. Mondo gazed approvingly upon her as she knelt in a proper salute of service and loyalty. "Well done!" he declared. "You have earned my forgiveness this time. But disobey me ever again, show weakness ever again, and you will be terminated," he glanced to where the remainders of the Cogs were starting to be incinerated by their companions. "Is that understood?" 

Sheena refused to wince as she looked at the wrecked Cogs, now destined for the incinerator. "I understand, my Master. I will not disobey you ever again."

* * *

Tanya quietly walked into the cabin. Sheena had told her she probably wouldn't hear her knock if she were deep into her writing, so she was to just come on in when she got there. The Yellow Ranger had wanted a couple of easy ki-see lessons, the art seemed to confuse the Cogs, and Tanya was getting fairly interested in it from seeing Sheena, Tommy, and Kahva's movements. 

Her heart sank as she entered Sheena's home office, only to see the Silver Ranger sitting with her back to the computer, eyes wide, and full of shock, love, pain... "Sheena?" she asked, her hand already moving to her communicator, preparing to call the Power Chamber. "Sheena, are you okay?" _Oh, please, no, not more sleepwalking!_

"Tanya?" Sheena shook herself, then looked at her friend. 

Tanya came over to her quickly. "Are you okay? Do I need to call Billy, you seemed out of it there just then." 

Sheena shook her head. "No, I'm okay, I was just remembering something." 

"Really?" Tanya frowned a little. "A good memory or a bad one?" 

"Little bit of both." 

Tanya's frown deepened. "Anything you want to talk about?" 

"Well... yes..." 

Tanya had heard that inflection in Sheena's voice before, and knew full well what it meant. "But not with me, right? Who do you need; Kahva?" Tanya started to raise her communicator to her lips, but was stopped by Sheena's gentle hand. 

"No," Sheena sighed a little. "She's at the Power Chamber, and I don't really want to interrupt them right now." _And I really don't want to worry her with this, she worries about me enough as it is._

"Yeah, she and Adam are helping Billy do inventory today," Tanya nodded, then looked a bit more at her friend. "She's not the one you need to talk to, is she? You need to talk to Billy, don't you?" At Sheena's sigh and nod, she continued, "How about we skip my lesson, then? I know you and Billy were talking about going to the park for a while before we all go to the carnival, maybe you two should get an early start." 

Sheena's eyes flicked around the room, she still couldn't get rid of the sense that hidden eyes were on her, watching her every move. She decided not to worry about it, for now. _I'm just jittery right now, that's all._ "I don't know," she finally murmured. "Tanya, I might need to talk to Billy, but I want to talk to someone else about one other thing I remembered." 

"Who?" 

"You, and Tommy too, preferably." _Except for Kahva, Tanya's the closest friend I have here, and Tommy understands about being forced to serve evil. Well, so does Kat, but I think I want to keep this confined to as few people as possible. The last thing I need is to have all of them worrying over me like a bunch of mother hens. I worried them all quite enough two weeks ago._

Tanya raised her eyebrows. "Me? Sure, what is it?" Sheena quickly revealed what she'd remembered, and as Tanya heard of the events that had taken place in the Skybase during that awful time when Sheena was evil, she shuddered. "Man, we never knew! Mondo just doesn't seem to know when to quit, does he? And I never realized just how cold they all could be," she shivered, rubbing her arms instinctively. 

Sheena looked quietly at her. "Why do you think I'm so scared of him?" 

"He's not going to get you again, we won't let him, Sheena!" the Yellow Ranger insisted. "I won't let him!" 

Sheena smiled. "You already showed me that once," she shuddered a little. "I still remember what Mondo and Machina said though, and how it hurt even then. I couldn't show it, I didn't dare. But I felt it." 

Tanya hugged her friend quickly. "You know what she said isn't true! You deserve love, everyone does! Billy loves you, we all do, never doubt that for a second, Sheena!" 

"I know," Sheena returned the hug gently. 

"You want me to call Billy at the Power Chamber and tell him to meet you earlier in the park than you guys had planned?" 

After a short pause, Sheena nodded. "I think I need to talk to him now. I can talk to Tommy later, after the carnival. Hey, maybe you should go to the Power Chamber, since we aren't going to be practicing today. You might be able to help Adam pull off his assignment for the carnival," she grinned conspiratorially. 

As a chuckling Tanya made the call, Sheena leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply. _I hope Billy can understand what I've been thinking. I think I'm going to tell him. He should know. Oh Goddess, I love him so much, but how can I be sure it is me he loves?_

Her fingers brushed against her rings for a moment, and she glanced down at them, her eyes lingering on her wedding ring. _I inherited so much from Kahva Kilanye. I hope... I pray, that this is something I did NOT get from her._

* * *

"Perfect." Billy looked around the picnic he'd set up, smiling a little to himself. There were red and white roses in a crystal vase, all the little foods he and Sheena both enjoyed. everything looked so romantic, nestled away here in this secluded little grove he and Sheena loved to go to. He glanced up as he heard light footsteps approaching, and smiled to see Sheena there. 

"Sheena, you made it!" he jumped up to hug and kiss her tenderly. "I thought I'd set up something special right here, where nobody can see us." He found himself looking into her eyes, and frowned. "Sheena? Honey, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing, really," she shook her head. _Now that I'm here, and he's worked so hard to set all this up, I can't risk spoiling it, I can't!_ "Just... " 

A shake of his head stopped her. "I've seen that look before, don't tell me it's nothing!" Billy guided her quickly to the blanket and sat down. "What's bothering you? You can tell me, you know that." 

She sighed, she couldn't hide her feelings from him no matter how hard she tried. "Just a few memories I wish had stayed forgotten." 

"Stayed forgotten? What do you mean?" he frowned. "Please tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can help." When she still didn't speak, he kissed her forehead tenderly, his fingers delicately caressing her face. "I'm a good listener, at least." 

It took her a few moments, but finally she poured out the tale once more of what had occurred while he had slept in the Machine Skybase all those months ago. His eyes narrowed in rage and hate at the machines when he heard what they had said and done to his beloved wife. "As if they know anything about what it's like to care about anyone, really care! Sheena, don't you believe what they said for a single second! Everyone deserves love, everyone is worthy of love! You are more than deserving and worthy of love, believe me!" 

He wrapped an arm around her as she leaned against him, her shoulders shaking. "I love you, Billy," she whispered. If he hadn't been so close to her, he would never have heard it. 

"I love you, too, Sheena. I've loved you from before I knew you were real, and even more so once I knew you were real. I fall in love all over again with you every single day," he leaned down to kiss her once more, as sweetly and tenderly as he was capable of. 

Her eyes were full of tears, tears she'd held back for so long as her fears returned to her full force. "How can I be sure?" she whispered, half to herself. "How." 

"I love you," Billy softly kissed her lips. "I have always loved you," he kissed her forehead. "And I always will. My life isn't whole without you in it," he cradled her face gently in his hands, drinking in the sight of his true love, her mere presence filling his heart to overflowing with joy and love. 

"But do you love me because of me, or because of..." She trailed off, refusing to look at him. Billy smiled a little, he'd known this was coming. 

"Or because of Silias and Kahva? I've wondered that too." Billy pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms firmly around her. "Guess what I discovered when I looked deep into my heart." 

"What?" she asked breathlessly. _Can I bear to hear the truth?_

"All those years I thought you were a dream, I loved the dream," he told her. "Even when I dated other girls, the dream was still there, but that's what it was then, only a dream. I still fell in love with other girls, but it wasn't the kind of love that two people who are going to share their lives together forever have. Then I met you for real, and you weren't a dream anymore," he paused, remembering. "I was so scared. All of a sudden, all of my secret dreams were real, and right here in reality. I didn't know if you would care for me at all. And the thought that you wouldn't nearly tore me apart." 

"Then when Zordon said there had been a bond passed down through the generations, I wondered if maybe the feelings I had were manufactured somehow, that I wasn't experiencing my own true feelings." At Sheena's nod, he continued. "But when I saw you, I knew I had to find out. I had to find out if what I felt was real, and if you shared those feelings," he turned her to face him. "When I touched you in the Skybase, when you remembered who you were, I saw your life, who you were, the kind of woman you are, and I knew right then that I loved you, no matter who or what our ancestors were, or what they were to each other. I loved you, and would always love you, no matter how you felt about me." 

Sheena nodded softly, her eyes shining with the love he was sending her by his touch, his warmth, and through their link, and with the love that filled her heart for him. "I knew some of what you were from the show in my own world, and what I knew of then, I loved with all my heart. When I finally met you for real, and learned who and what you are, learned all the things they never showed back there... I loved you even more. I love you now. And will for all time." 

"They may have given us our heritage, our psychic bond, but love? We gave that to ourselves. I love you, Sheena Devereaux Cranston, with all of my heart and soul, and I will love you until the day I die and beyond, forever into eternity," he kissed her long and lovingly on the lips. "I love you, forever and always." 

Sheena returned the kiss with all her love, and every fiber of her being. "I will love you forever, until the end of time, my heart, my soul, my love, my Billy. I will never leave you." 

And then, in the sweetest, tenderest, most passionate and oldest way of those who love each other, they demonstrated that love in the peaceful seclusion of the hidden grove. much to the extreme displeasure of someone who watched from the shadows. 

"He does not deserve your love, he is not worthy, only I am worthy of your eternal loyalty!" he hissed vehemently, too low for them to hear. "Sapphire Ranger, enjoy your last few minutes with Sheena, because before the day is done, she will love me and only me for all time, and you will be completely powerless to stop me! In fact, you are going to drive her to me! Prepare to meet your true heart's master, Sheena! Prepare yourself for me! 

**To Be Continued**


	10. Reflections of Love

**Reflections of Love  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

Kahva, Adam and Tanya were up to their elbows in the inventory of the Power Chamber's supplies, kicking up small dust clouds here and there. Billy had left only about twenty minutes earlier, and the Yellow Ranger had come to take his place in the cleaning crew. Behind their older friend's back, Adam and Tanya exchanged conspiratorial glances every now and then, keeping a close watch on the time. 

Kahva straightened up suddenly, a distant, but amused, look on her face. "I was wondering when they'd get down to business!" she declared with a small chuckle. 

"Billy and Sheena?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow. They'd all seen that look before on Kahva's face when the Silver and Sapphire Rangers were 'together'. 

Kahva giggled. "Now what_ ever_ could have given you that idea - whoa..." she grabbed hold of a counter quickly to steady herself, her eyes flying wide open. "Now that was something else!" she breathed. "Wow," she gasped, shaking her head to get the image she'd received from the two lovebirds out of it. _Turn it off!_ she sent to them, begging, but they didn't hear her. _Guess I need to take care of this one, then_, she smiled to herself. 

"You okay?" Adam moved to her, concerned now. Kahva had never been staggered this much by Sheena and Billy before. 

"As soon as I 'block their transmission', I will be, Adam," she assured him. Kahva closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a few moments, then opened them again. "That was even more intense than when they were on their honeymoon! I think it's safe to say they've straightened everything out and calmed their fears!" she laughed a little as she shook her head, still trying to clear it of the vivid images she'd received. Kahva blushed ever so slightly, she had gotten quite a 'mind's eye-full', as Sheena as started to describe the experiences. 

"Good!" Tanya smiled. "Sheena was kind of upset earlier, I'm glad she's feeling better." 

Kahva cocked an eyebrow at her, her hands on her hips, and her familiar quirky grin plastered on her face. "If she isn't feeling better after that, then there's something wrong with the girl, _believe me!"_

"I can only imagine!" Tanya grinned, tossing a glance at Adam. Their relationship had only extended as far as deep, passionate kisses; it was nowhere near as intense as Sheena and Billy's was, though. 

Kahva sighed wistfully. "Maybe one day none of us will have to imagine." She grinned suddenly, giggling, "Or get knocked down by it mentally!" 

"One day!" Adam laughed as they got back to work. Another half hour quickly passed as they cleaned, organized, and filed everything they possibly could without Billy's supervision. Jokes flew back and forth about how no one was going to recognize the storage areas once they were done, the rooms would be so clean! 

Finally Tanya leaned back, stretching. "Whoa, this is hard work!" she declared loudly, trying not to sound forced. "We need a break!" 

"You guys go ahead and take off," Kahva told them. "I can handle it from here." 

Adam shook his head at that. _ You're not staying behind this time, not today! _ "Nope, you've been working longer than we have, you need a break even worse than we do!" 

"I'm okay, really, Adam!" Kahva tried to insist as she turned to pull out another box. The dust cloud it stirred up triggered almost five straight sneezes from her. 

_Her sneezing, her allergies, that's as good an excuse as any to get her to come with us. Never thought I'd be grateful to dust bunnies! _ Tanya stood up, "Nope, you are getting out of this dusty place before you sneeze your head off, Kahva!" 

Kahva sneezed one last time, then looked at them both. "I'm not going to win this one, huh?" she asked, looking from one Ranger to the other. Adam shook his head firmly; they were getting her out of the Power Chamber if it killed them._ Or if I have to tie her up and drag her out of here!_ Adam thought. 

"There's a carnival that just hit town, it would be the perfect place to relax for a few hours!" Tanya suggested. _Please don't say no!_ she begged mentally, even as Kahva stifled a shudder at the suggestion. 

"I don't know, it's probably going to be crowded on a day like today, isn't it?" 

"I don't think so," Tanya shrugged. "It just got here." 

Adam laughed, "And even if it is, why let other people get in the way of us having fun? Come on, it'll be a blast!" he urged her, giving Kahva his best 'puppy-eyes, please don't say no' look. She hadn't been able to resist that look in the nearly six months she'd been in this world yet, and Adam used that to his advantage ruthlessly, when needed. 

Kahva's eyes flicked from one to the other, _They've got to be up to something, but what is it? _ But the look on Adam's face was impossible to resist or refuse. "Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go!" she gave in at last. "Just let me change into a shirt that isn't the color of dust and I'll be ready!" She started out of the room, then stopped at the doorway to look back at them. "Will I get an honest answer if I ask just what the two of you are up to?" 

"Us?" Tanya looked as innocent as she possibly could. "Up to something?" 

"Nope, not us!" Adam looked even more innocent! 

Kahva laughed; she couldn't help it. The more innocent they acted, the surer she was of a conspiracy of some sort. But she had to admit in spite of herself, she did want to get away from the inventory for a little while. Even if that meant facing a crowd. "Yeah right, and I'm a Power Ranger!" she countered his proclamation. "Don't worry, I'll still go, you two little imps!" As she headed down the hall, she heard Tanya laughing from behind her. 

"We're just going to the carnival to relax and have fun!" 

Somehow, Kahva just couldn't believe them. _But does it matter?_ she asked herself. _ Nope. Carnivals are fun. as long as they aren't too crowded!_

* * *

"I hope they were able to get Kahva out of the Power Chamber," Billy said aloud, a little breathless from the race he had just barely lost to his wife from the park to the carnival. "I almost didn't start the inventory today, knowing how she is." 

"But if you hadn't, she would've most likely gone the TV station, even though they don't have anything they need freelance help on right now, and found some editing or something to get buried in," Sheena reminded him. "And once she starts working on something there, you know she won't stop unless she's carried off by force," she laughed. "You did the right thing, I'd rather try to get her away from cleaning, than video or photo work any day." 

"Yeah, but you aren't the one who was picked to drag her away," Tommy's voice floated over to them. He and Kat had come up in time to hear most of the conversation, arms wrapped about each other's waists. Over the past year, their relationship had gotten closer and tighter; getting to the point that most of their friends were predicting that they would be the next to get married. if Tommy's brother David and his girlfriend Stephanie didn't beat them to the altar. 

"Now Tommy," Kat laughed, "you know that Adam is the only one in this dimension who could have pulled this off. Don't even try to tell me that you guys are immune to his 'puppy dog eyes', because you know you aren't!" 

"Yes we are!" the Red Ranger protested. 

"Oh really? Then why did you suddenly decide to cut the workout you two had yesterday so short, when you were determined to go a full hour? Adam played you Tommy, admit it!" Kat teased. 

Tommy shook his head finally, laughing. "Okay, he did, I admit it!. But I couldn't argue with him too much, it gave me more time with you yesterday, didn't it?" 

"That it did," she agreed readily, kissing Tommy quickly, then planting another longer one, with a little more passion behind it. "Remind me to thank him," she smiled. 

"Tommy, if your link with Kahva gets any stronger than what it is right now, you're going to have to learn how to shut certain things off, you know," Sheena informed him with a knowing smile. Suddenly, she blushed. "Oops! I think we forgot to block our signals to her, Billy!" An embarrassed look passed between the married couple as they realized what Kahva must have seen and felt earlier. But as they both reached out for her, they could feel the block up between them, and they relaxed a bit. 

Kat grinned mischievously at the Silver and Sapphire Rangers, talking softly as Rocky and David walked up with their dates so as not to be overheard. "I guess she 'turned off the TV' for you?" Billy merely nodded with a grin as the others joined them. 

"Hey bro!" David cheerfully called out. His girlfriend Stephanie beamed at his side, one arm securely wrapped about his waist. "Are we early, or are we late?" 

"Sorry if we're a bit late," Stephanie spoke up, "but David was showing me some of the cave drawings they've just found on the reservation's eastern side, they are beautiful!" 

Tommy chuckled a bit as he briefly clasped his brother's hand in greeting. "I think you're right on time, Jason and Emily haven't gotten here yet." Tommy kept his smile up, even when both Stephanie and Rocky's date Lisa made slight faces at Emily's name. "Once they get here, I think we will be all set." 

"Hope Emily doesn't ruin everything," Lisa muttered under her breath, not intending for anyone to hear her. Rocky hugged her quickly, while Stephanie spoke up to lighten the mood. 

"And once we are all assembled," she grinned, "the carnival is ours for the taking! I hear the 'Tunnel of Love' is supposed to be really nice," she hinted, smiling at David, then kissing him full on his lips. As she and Lisa moved to talk with Kat and Sheena, David's eyes followed her, his heart stirred by every move she made, his smile growing bigger with her laughter. He didn't even notice Rocky's snickering at his lovestruck expression, or Tommy's trying to get his attention until his brother covered his eyes with both of his hands. 

"Hey!" he exclaimed softly, pulling Tommy's hands from his face, "What's the big idea, you're blocking my view of my woman, bro!" 

Billy and Rocky were too busy laughing to give a coherent response, and Tommy wasn't much better. But he merely grinned, then lifted up David's hair and pretended to examine the back of his brother's neck. "Hmm, looks okay. To quote our dear Kahva, I don't see any teethmarks, I think we can still serve you to the public." David slapped Tommy's hands away, blushing furiously, then laughing himself, before sighing a bit as he looked back at Stephanie. 

"Don't bother with the public," he declared. "Just serve me up to Stephanie." 

Tommy finally couldn't hold his laughter back any longer. "You've got it bad, bro! When's the wedding?" 

"I wish it was today." David turned serious for a moment, looking at Tommy. "I'm really in love this time bro. She is the one for me. I know neither one of us is ready to get married right now, but she is the one." Then he grinned, "So when's the date for you and Kat? Or are you like me and haven't found the nerve to propose yet?" 

Tommy turned serious then, but his smile never faded. "I wish it was today too, but we're not quite ready for marriage yet either. Wonder which of us will head down the aisle first?" 

"Why don't you two Romeos ask Kahva if she's seen either of you getting married? She's the one who told me about Lisa," Rocky suggested, still laughing a bit. "Though she's never said that Lisa is who I'm destined for, she did tell me Lisa had been watching me." 

"She saw Lisa staring at you in the Youth Center, it wasn't a vision Rocko," Billy laughed. 

"Who's a vision?" came a female voice from behind them. As the guys turned, they saw Emily and Jason getting out of Jason's car. As he looked back to the other young women, Billy could see them all plastering on smiles, determined to be nice and polite to Emily. No matter how she had been behaving as of late, she was still Jason's girlfriend, and deserved at least that much respect. _ That, and Emily has been at least a little nicer to Kahva,_ Billy heard his wife's voice in his mind. _Though I doubt she's really sincere about it. I'm surprised she came._

Aloud, Billy welcomed the newly arrived couple. "Glad you guys could make it! I think that gets us all together, now we just need our recovery team," he chuckled. Emily smiled, but there was the faintest hint of coldness to it; a coldness that had become all too familiar over the past six months or so. 

"It was so nice for you all to plan this for everyone," she purred, both of her arms wrapped tightly around Jason's waist. Billy couldn't help but notice the little differences between her and Stephanie, who had once again wrapped her arms around David's waist. Where Stephanie's gesture was plainly one of pure love, Emily's gave the impression of possession. "Will Daniel be joining us also?" 

"I wish he could, but he can't, there's an audition in New York that he can't miss," Sheena answered her. Emily was good though, she kept her smile up, though her voice sent shivers down nearly everyone's spine. 

"Kahva is going to be so disappointed, she must feel so _lonely_ with him so far away." 

_As if you really care._ "That is why all of us decided to go out together today, she does miss him a lot. Hopefully a good time at the carnival will make this a happy day for _everyone,_" Sheena calmly said, staring right at Emily. But any further comments were stopped by the arrival of Adam's green Tracker. "Here's the rest of our brood. Over here, guys!" Sheena called out to a very happy and giggling Adam and Tanya, and to a rather hesitant Kahva, who had just caught sight of Emily. Kat and Stephanie immediately ran to her side and ushered her into the center of the group, as if to prevent her from escaping. _ Which she still might try to do, but I won't let Emily spoil this day for her, or for any of us. Especially not this day. _ "Glad you guys could make it," Sheena grinned at them. 

Kahva cocked an eyebrow at her soul-sister, Sheena had the same conspiratorial air about her that Adam and Tanya had had all the way to the carnival, and Kahva was getting that same feeling from everyone's grins and smiles, with the exception of Emily. "All right, now that Adam and Tanya have duly and truly kidnapped me, what's going on here? They're up to something, and so are you guys." 

"We just all decided to go to the carnival today," Sheena innocently replied, but Kahva would have none of that. 

"I know you too well, Sheena, something's up? What, has David finally proposed to Stephanie?" she grinned. 

Sheena knew Kahva didn't really suspect that, and with a glance at everyone, she smiled. "That would be a cause for a celebration, but we're here to relax, have a good time." 

"And Happy Birthday!" everyone chorused more or less in unison, breaking into the Birthday song. Sheena smiled as Kahva's jaw dropped, then she blushed at all the attention. She nearly frowned as she realized one voice hadn't joined in the song: Emily's. _ At least she's pretending to sing though. Don't you dare mess this day up girl, or Jason or not, you will finally get a piece of my mind, and you won't like it one bit!_

"How did you guys find out? I never told anyone when my birthday was. Sheena!" 

"What?" the accused young woman giggled. 

_"You_ told, didn't you!" When Sheena merely smiled all the more, Kahva started at her, which began a merry chase all through the parking lot as Sheena dodged around cars, Kahva cutting her off here, just missing catching her there. By the time Sheena managed to get back to Billy and hide behind him, they had been running for almost five minutes, and were completely breathless and uncontrollably giddy with laughter. "Coward!" Kahva teased as Sheena hid behind her husband, who along with all their friends was still laughing about the chase. The Rangers had more reason to laugh, they had never seen Sheena have to try so hard to keep from being caught._ Pay back! Maybe next time you and Billy will turn off your 'transmission', okay? I'm going to keep the block up today, just in case!_ Kahva giggled out loud, and in Billy and Sheena's minds. "That's right, hide behind your husband, I can still get you later, girl!" she laughingly threatened. 

_I'd forgotten just how dogged she could be!_ Sheena's voice sounded in Billy's mind. Even mentally, her voice was slightly winded. 

_I don't know, I have to say I enjoyed seeing her chase you so bad. She made you work at keeping away from her. and I think she's just paid you back for springing a surprise party on her. _ Billy smiled as he sent to his wife, hugging her tightly. "Okay, okay, before my wife becomes an endangered species," he joked, "I vote we swarm the carnival!" No one seemed to object to that idea, and the high-spirited young people ran into the carnival eagerly. blissfully unaware of fiery ice-blue eyes that had just appeared in the shadows. 

Eyes that desired only one being: Sheena.

* * *

"Rocky, that's your _fifth_ foot-long hot dog!" Kahva and Lisa exclaimed almost in unison. The girls looked from the Blue Ranger to each other, then cracked up giggling. 

"What can I say," Rocky countered after taking a huge bite, "I'm a growing boy!" 

"You're gonna grow _out_, not _ up,_ if you keep that up," Tanya warned, giggling herself. 

"Nah, I'm too active for that. see?" he called out, starting to jog away. "Catch me if you can!" he challenged Lisa, who immediately tackled him, jumping on his back. Rocky laughed and quickly downed the rest of the hot dog so he could keep a good grip on Lisa with both hands. 

"Giddyap!" she giggled, tapping her heels on the sides of his thighs. Rocky promptly started to trot around the entire group, making noises that were supposed to sound like a horse, but sounded more like strange sneezes instead. "We're off to the Scrambler!' Rocky cried, jogging off from the group with Lisa hanging on to his back for dear life. 

"Good thing he has an iron-clad stomach," Stephanie declared, 'or he might just lose all five of those foot-longs." 

"Not to mention everything else he's eaten here already," David chuckled. "I don't know where he puts it all!" 

"Hollow leg," Kahva quietly answered, drawing giggles of agreement from everyone. Stephanie whispered something into David's ear, causing the young man to slap his forehead with a grimace. "Forget something?" she asked. 

"Yeah. Man, sometimes I think I'm getting more forgetful than Tommy!" he joked, earning a light punch on the arm from his brother. "We promised to take Stephanie's little brother out to the zoo after his soccer practice, and it should be ending in about thirty minutes or so. I hate to run, but we need to go, I'm sorry Kahva -" 

"Don't worry about it, this has been a great birthday!" she assured him with a quick hug. "You guys go on and have fun at the zoo, okay?" The couple finally left after another assurance from the older young woman that she really didn't mind their having to leave early. "Now as for the rest of you hoodlums," she teased, turning back to the rest of the group. "We've all spent nearly an hour or more together, why don't you couples go and do some exploring on your own? You're all old enough that Sheena and I don't need to chaperone any of you, scoot!" It took a few minutes of gentle prodding, but finally all of the couples splintered off in various directions, with a promise to meet up later at the carnival entrance in an hour, they still had plans for Kahva's birthday. 

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Jason asked as Emily tried to lead him away. "You shouldn't be alone on your birthday, Kahva, come along with us." Kahva deliberately avoided looking into Emily's eyes at that point, the possessive girl was smiling frostily at her, practically shooting daggers into her heart with her veiled glare. 

"Yes, are you sure Kahva? You're right, we," she stressed, "don't need a chaperone, but you really shouldn't have to be alone on your birthday. It's such a shame that Daniel couldn't be here with you." 

_If there weren't so many people around right now, I'd strangle you for that, Emily!_ Sheena furiously thought. _ That was meant to hurt, and you know you meant it that way! Get it through your thick skull, Kahva isn't after Jason!_ "Yes it is, but we hope to see him very soon," Sheena intervened. "And don't worry, I'm not going to let my soul-sister here be alone on her birthday, you two go head and have fun!' she smiled at them, determined to be nice to Jason's girlfriend, in spite of her attempts to hurt Kahva. 

Kahva smiled wearily as the Gold Ranger was reluctantly led off by his date. "Thanks, Sheena. Now you and Billy go ahead and go on, I don't need a chaperone anymore than you two do." Billy arms around her waist stopped Kahva from escaping as he picked her up and whirled her around until she started giggling hysterically. 

"Nothing doing! This is your birthday, and by God you are going to have fun!" he declared, playfully kissing her on her neck to tickle her. "How about we find the Funhouse, then hit the Hall Of Mirrors?" he suggested, setting Kahva down so that he was between her and Sheena. 

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Sheena laughed as the three linked arms and headed of, breaking into an impromptu chorus of 'We're off to see the Wizard' as they skipped down the midway, laughing at their own silliness. 

"Thanks for everything, this has been a great birthday, Sheena," Kahva hugged her sister as Billy walked to a booth to purchase their tickets. "This is so much like the old times, I -" Kahva suddenly stopped and shuddered, rubbing her arms. "That was too weird." 

"What? What's wrong?" Sheena asked with a quick glance around, scanning the carnival immediately for any signs of their enemies. 

"I - I'm not sure. It's like I could feel something cold brushing past me from behind us, heading for you, I think." Kahva concentrated a moment, then turned to look at a candy apple stand directly behind them. "It came from there, it was a thread of coldness, it felt like it was searching for something to wrap around - no, it knew what it wanted to wrap around, and I happened to be in its path. But it's gone now," she sighed. "That was just too weird, I haven't felt anything like that since your wedding reception." Kahva closed her eyes to try and feel for the source again, but failed. "Whatever it is, it's not there anymore. I'm probably just imagining things anyway, we've all been way too jumpy since everything happened with your sleepwalking. At least I know I have, I'm sorry, Sheena. Forget I said anything, I'm just getting paranoid." 

Sheena started to protest, but found herself agreeing with Kahva quickly. "That's okay, you're allowed to be paranoid around us, we're all Power Rangers, after all." _ Why did I agree so quickly? I should be arguing that we need to scan. _ Sheena couldn't remember her train of thought all of a sudden. _What was I thinking about? Oh yes, the Tunnel of Love, Billy and I need to go in there after the Hall Of Mirrors, that's what I was thinking! Silly me, I'm getting forgetful in my early twenties! _she laughed to herself. Billy walked over at that point and nothing was said about Kahva's odd feeling as the three young people quickly made their way to the Funhouse. Cold, fiery ice-blue eyes watched their retreating backs, an even colder heart fixing itself lustily on the form of Sheena. 

_Blast that child! Who is she! I still haven't gotten a good look at her face, or heard her name, but she sensed me! She sensed my magic; I nearly destroyed a year's worth of magic in one second of over-eagerness! If she figures anything out and tells Sheena, or that irritating husband of hers. _A cruel smile twisted across his thin lips as he teleported himself to the Hall Of Mirrors to set his trap. _ But Sheena won't listen to someone who is hurting her, now will she? Oh, child. so today is your birthday, is it? Whoever you are, I am about to give you a gift. and Sheena's soon to be ex-husband will deliver it for me. and deliver your precious 'soul-sister' to me in the process. Enjoy these next few minutes with Sheena, they will be the last any of you have with her!_

* * *

"Whoa!" Sheena squealed with delight as she slid down the wavy slide, exiting the Funhouse. "Bonsai!" Laughing, she landed on the large cushion at the end of the slide, then rolled to her left as a giggling Kahva sped towards her, landing right beside her. "That was fun!" 

"Yeah! Hey, where's Billy?" 

"Incoming!" was the only warning Kahva got as Billy landed right on top of her. "Hello, birthday girl!" he laughed, planting a quick kiss on her forehead before managing to stand up, then pulling the two girls up and escorting them off of the cushion. "And heelllloooo, gorgeous wife," he said, before pulling Sheena into a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips. "I could fall for you anytime," he purred into her ear. 

"All right, that settles it, the block is going back up!" Kahva declared. "Whatever you two end up doing,_ I_ don't wanna see it! I'm not a voyeur, nor do I need the 'education' I might get from you two!" she teased. "I hope to find out all about that stuff on my own with _my_ husband one day, whenever that happens." 

"You and Daniel are going to be wonderful together, I just know it," Sheena assured her soul-sister. 

"If he's the one I marry," Kahva countered, a slightly sad smile crossing her face. "We're in two different dimensions, that doesn't give much time or opportunity for romance. Talk about your long distance relationships." Kahva shook her head and smiled. "No, no sad thoughts today, whoever I end up with, I end up with, and whether he's Daniel or not, he'll be wonderful. But I really hope it is Daniel. In the meantime, I'm blocking you two, I don't want to see what you guys might do in the Tunnel of Love!" she teased. 

"Who, us?" Sheena grinned right back, planting a passionate kiss on Billy's lips as the trio made their way to the Hall Of Mirrors. Sheena had always wondered what it would be like to see herself twisted and deformed in those reflections! 

"Who else?" Kahva grinned as she blocked their thoughts and emotions from her mind again. "Do you know any _other_ couple 'disgustingly in love'?" 

Billy grinned. "Don't make me answer that!" he teased right back. 

"What on Earth could we _possibly_ do in there?" Sheena joked, trying to look innocent, but failing cheerfully. Kahva chuckled a little bit, then glanced into the shadowy Hall just ahead of them, a light shiver passing through her as she did so. 

_Weird. Another one of those 'threads'... But Sheena's not worried about it, so maybe I shouldn't be._ As they entered the Hall, Kahva forced all of her worries to fall away. She was with her friends, the day was gloriously beautiful, and the carnival still had delights left to show them. This was her birthday, and she was going to have _fun!_

* * *

Cold eyes watched the trio as they laughed and ran into the Hall Of Mirrors. "Yes, Sheena, what on Earth could you and Billy_ possibly _do in the Tunnel of Love... especially when the two of you will _never_ get the chance to enter it!" The figure laughed and with the faintest trace of acrid smoke, teleported himself inside the Hall._ It is time. Come into my parlor, William Cranston... It is time for you to give me your wife!_

* * *

"I look like a rubber band!" Sheena cheerfully called out. Giggling, she made a face at her reflection, watching her form twist and turn crazily with every movement. "Hey Billy, where are you?" Looking around, she saw twenty Billys in the mirrors, some towering and bent over, some bouncing up and down like crazy, self-animated Slinkys. Three of them were only a foot tall, and were getting smaller. 

"I'm not to far from you, I don't think - whoops! That's not you, that a reflection!" came his startled laugh. 

"I wonder if they ever have to send search parties out in here," came Kahva's delighted giggle from somewhere between Sheena, and where she thought she could hear Billy's voice. 

"Hmm... lost in a mysterious place with my husband... now _that_ has all_ sorts_ of lovely possibilities!' she teased back. 

"Hey, I'm blocking you two, so go right ahead!" Kahva countered. "Just make sure you've got the right Billy with you, I'm seeing about fifteen of them right now myself!" There was a muffled thump, and then a giggle. "And that one was a mirror! I love this place!" Sheena could hear another giggle moving away from her, then, "One down, fourteen more Billys to go! Make sure you get the right one, Sheena!" 

"As if I wouldn't know my own husband!" Sheena laughed with mock indignation, hands on hips. She turned to her left, and instead of seeing a reflection of Billy, she saw a different figure, one that shouldn't have been there. _He's here? But how, why? _ Whirling around, she started to call out his name, but then forgot what she was doing. _I turned for a reason... Oh yes, I'm trying to find my true love, that's what I'm doing!_ With an impish giggle, she continued to skip along the mirror hallways, her heart searching for Billy... and for a set of mysterious, fiery ice-blue eyes.

* * *

Billy smiled at his wife's laughter. _ I love you, Sheena._ A fuzzy warmth was the reply, instead of the normal clear endearment he had always received from her before. "That's strange," he muttered. "I wonder if Kahva has her blocks set up so strongly that it's blocking Sheena and myself? But it's never happened before..." Billy turned at a sound to his right and trotted down the long hallway, the longest straight path he'd found in the Hall so far. "Sheena?" he called. 

"Billy? Where are you?" came back Kahva's voice instead. She sounded like she was only a few feet away, but suddenly Billy couldn't see any reflections clearly in the mirrors that surrounded him. 

"Down here," he answered back, turning to go back the way he'd come... only to find a solid wall of mirrors blocking his path. _ Moving walls? This can't be right!_ "I'm in a dead end!" 

"What?" Kahva's voice seemed to be miles away as the mirrors closed in on him, herding him towards the wall behind him. 

"I'm trapped! Sheena, K - hey!" Billy yelled as powerful arms surged from behind him, wrapping him in a crushing embrace. "Help!" he screamed as his communicator was ripped off of his wrist, a tiny clink of thin metal against floor barely audible. "Somebody help m-!" 

Kahva ran down the hallway she thought she had heard Billy's voice coming from, but it was only a dead end. "I thought I heard him say he was down here somewhere," she muttered in confusion to herself. For a moment, she thought she could hear a thumping sound behind her, but the only thing there was another mirror. "That's weird, he must have gotten out of here before I was close enough to see him - brrrrr!" she shivered uncontrollably. _Why am I feeling these threads of coldness, but nobody else can? What is going on, am I just being way too paranoid today or what?_ "I've got to find Billy, maybe there's a draft here or something, or maybe I'm getting sick," she told herself, then left the way she'd come... not seeing a tiny piece of metallic mesh screen laying on the floor... with traces of sapphire blue enamel on it.

* * *

"No! Don't go, I'm right here, behind the mirror, _don't go!_ Help me!" Billy pounded on the clear barrier between him and Kahva. He could see her, why couldn't she see him? "Turn around and look! Don't leave, please, I'm right here! No!" he screamed, then everything turned black all around him as the arms wrapped themselves about him again, ice cold hands dragging him away from the barrier with a soft, sinister-sounding chuckle. A few seconds later, he was shoved into what felt like a cage of some sort. 

"Where am I? What's going on!" Billy looked around, his heart pounding with fear. The arms that had dragged him away had vanished after thrusting him into this tiny cell, and he still hadn't gotten a good look at whoever it was. _There's at least one good thing, it's not Mondo. That was a human, or humanoid who grabbed me, so unless he's hired outside help, we're not dealing with the Machine Empire on this. But if not Mondo, who then? Why couldn't Kahva see or hear me, where am I!_

As hidden lights slowly came up and illuminated the area, Billy's eyes darted all over his cell. It was small, there was barely enough room in it for him to stand up straight. There was not enough room for him to stretch his arms out from side to side, and hardly enough room for him to take a single step forward. The barred wall looked out onto a room set up almost as a laboratory of some type, but none like he'd ever seen before, if that was what it was. The entire place, room and cell, were knee-deep in a thick, pale grey fog._ This looks and feels all too familiar... but too strange at the same time. It's like I'm in one of Rita or Zedd's old dark dimensions, but this is worse than any of those... I can feel evil here - get a grip, Cranston! "Feel evil?" You're starting to sound like Kahva... but then again, she's always been right so far with her feelings, so maybe, just maybe, there's a chance you could be not so far off with yours? Billy shuddered and rubbed his arms. I wish she was here so that she could tell me if I'm really feeling something, or just going crazy. No, I don't wish she was here, she'd be in too much danger! I'm in danger, I want out of here!_

Billy forced back the wave of panic, realizing that whoever his captor was, they wanted him to do exactly that: panic. Everything was set up to intimidate a prisoner, and in this case, that was Billy. _ I won't let you see me panic, I won't give that to you! But I am getting out of here somehow! _ "Sheena! Sheena, can you hear me?" he called out with voice and mind, hoping to get through to her. He shivered a little when he realized that he couldn't completely sense either Sheena or Kahva. 

A soft, low chuckle sounded from a few feet away, and he looked up to see someone fade into existence just outside the cell bars. "Sheena can't hear you, Cranston. But I can." 

A tall, thin man with fiery, ice-cold blue eyes stepped into the light so the Sapphire Ranger could see him clearly. Pale-skinned, with pale blonde hair, all he needed was a set of fangs to play the part of a vampire, Billy absently noted. Then he froze as he recognized the man he hadn't seen in six months. _"You!_" Billy growled. "What's going on here, what are you doing!" 

"Taking what is rightfully mine!" was the low, cold response. He must have seen the horror and shock in Billy's eyes, for his captor shook his head. "No, not you, stupid little boy. You're not the one I desire. But you _are_ going to help me get who I want." 

_No, he can't mean..._ Billy's heart seized up first with fear, then anger as he grabbed the bars and spat out, "What are you talking about! Let me out of here, or I'll..." 

"What?" the odd man sneered at him. "You'll do what, locked up so helplessly in your little cage? You will do _nothing_!" the enemy laughed harshly, slapping Billy's hands from the bars. "Nothing except sit there, and watch me claim the woman who belongs to me!" 

The young Ranger's response was only three words: "Sapphire Ranger Power!" 

There was an almost audible fizzle as instead of morphing, he simply stood there. Billy's jail keeper laughed, sneering at the captive Ranger. "I'm sorry, but I am so terribly afraid that your puny little morphing powers won't work here! This pocket dimension runs by my laws, boy, not the rules of Earth. Now you just stand there quietly like a good little prisoner, and watch me handle things!" 

"Stand here _quietly_, eh? I don't think so!" Billy threw his head back and howled as loudly as he could, perfectly willing to do anything to annoy his captor. The wizard growled a little, then waved an irritated hand at Billy. Silence suddenly engulfed the room. 

"I really don't like noise," Billy's enemy hissed. "So you _will_ be silent!" Then with another wave of his hand, a column of smoke appeared between them. The thin man slowly began to shape and form the column, causing it to thicken and gradually change in appearance. 

Billy stared in shock as the smoke was carefully formed into a near-identical copy of himself. _ Oh man, this is WAY too much like when Rita and Zedd made that clone of me!_ he shivered, remembering. _That was one of the worst things I've ever gone through, I came so close to falling into an eternal sleep, and the Rangers nearly lost their powers at the same time! _ He tried to ask what was going on, but couldn't. _ What has he done to me! I can't morph, I can't talk, my communicator's gone, I'm locked in a cell only God knows where, what is going on here!_

"I know you want to know what I'm doing," the thin, sinister man chuckled softly at the look in Billy's eyes. It was plainly obvious he was thoroughly enjoying the mental torment he was putting Billy through. "Too bad, I'm not telling you!" 

The Sapphire Ranger silently growled deep in his throat. _I don't believe this, I just don't believe this! HIM? Of all people, him! Sheena's always thought he was a friend... I guess we know now he's not... At least, I know now... and I can't warn Sheena or the others! _

The magical clone of him took on more and more color and life as the next few minutes slowly tracked by. By the end of half an hour, the smoke-clone was fully alive, dressed in clothing identical to Billy's, and wore the same tense expression Billy himself wore, then abruptly smiled Billy's familiar smile, only his was ever so slightly sinister. 

The wizard who made the clone nodded slowly in approval. "Excellent, my creation! Tell me, what is your name, and your mission?" 

"William Cranston," the clone spoke, in Billy's own voice, without the slightest hint of any difference from the original. Billy shivered at that,_ This is not good, this is not good at all! _ "And my mission is to break the heart of Sheena Devereaux Cranston; to drive her away from all she believes she loves, and that loves her, and straight into your arms, my master Delnas." 

Billy's eyes widened at the naming of his captor, then narrowed. _So that's his real name, then. When Sheena finds out the truth, she's going to want to kill him, and I won't blame her one bit! She won't fall for this idiot's trickery, he can't possibly fool her!_

Delnas nodded, smiling wickedly. "Indeed." Then he strapped something to the clone's wrist. "This is his," he motioned to the imprisoned and muted Billy, "communicator. The spell I've placed on it will allow you access to his memories, though only for the past two years or so. But that will be enough for our purposes. Tap into them, find the ones that relate to this mysterious soul-sister of Sheena's. I don't know her name, I've not gotten close enough to her or the others to find it out, or to even find out what she looks like, but all that information is waiting for you in his mind. As long as you have his communicator, you can access his mind at any time. I will not be able to guide you when you are near her, you will be on your own. You will have to use her at your own discretion. I can't get close to the girl myself, she seems to be able to sense the threads I'm casting if I get too close -" Delnas stopped at that, as if he had said too much in front of the real Billy. 

"Then how will I be able to use her, if you can't be there to help me?" the clone asked worriedly. Billy could already feel his copy delving into his mind, finding out as much as he could about Kahva, and Billy's relationship with her. 

Delnas smiled and chuckled evilly. "The powers I've given you will make it all the easier for you to do it. You will be able to cast a bit of magic of your own, create your own illusions while I am still on this planet. Use them wisely, and remember this: if you value your short existence, you will not physically harm my Sheena. I don't care what you do to that other girl, or to the Rangers, but you will not harm my Sheena. Is that understood?" The clone pulled out of Billy's mind and nodded with an evil smile. Delnas briefly turned back to the captive Billy and in a falsely kind voice assured him "You won't be left completely in the dark, Cranston. You will be able to see and hear everything my clone does, through his own senses. I envy you, in a way... I cannot enjoy what he does on such a first-hand basis. I cannot take the chance -" Again he stopped himself, as if he was saying too much. 

_He's afraid Kahva will sense his magic and stop him somehow!_ Billy realized suddenly. _ He's afraid she will spoil his plans! Please Kahva, figure this out, and warn Sheena, please!_

Delnas smiled even more evilly, regaining his composure quickly. "I cannot enjoy his actions by staying connected to him at all times, because I will be too busy claiming _my_ Sheena. By the way, I do hope you two enjoyed your little soiree in the park, it was the last one you will ever have with her, boy," he hissed at Billy, enjoying the shock, then rage that revelation sparked. 

Delnas turned back to the clone, well pleased with himself, and his creation. "Now, on with your mission, my slave... and send into my arms the woman I love!"

* * *

Sheena stumbled out of the Hall of Mirrors, wincing at the brightness of the sun briefly. The Hall had been dark, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden daylight. _ I never did find Billy in there, I wonder if Kahva did? Where is she anyway? _

"Sheena?" She turned around to see her soul-sister coming out, covering her eyes briefly as she too, was shocked by the brilliance of the sunlight. "Is that you?" 

"Yeah, it's me," the Silver Ranger nodded. "Is Billy still in there?" 

Kahva shook her head, glancing around quickly. "I don't know, I didn't see him. I think I heard something though in one of the hallways though, I thought it was Billy calling me. Maybe he made it out before we did?" 

A light frown creased Sheena's features as she reached out to Billy mentally. _ Billy? Billy?_ She almost shivered as she got nothing but fuzziness in return. _This is strange. Maybe... oh, I'm sure he's fine, I don't need to worry about him. _ She blinked a little, then turned to Kahva. "Maybe we should go looking for him," she suggested. "He probably snuck out when we weren't looking and is planning something sweet to surprise me with," Sheena smiled. "I think he is blocking me just a little, so he _must _be planning something!" she giggled. "But I think I might want to spoil this one, since he didn't let me find him in the Hall of Mirrors. A perfectly good romantic opportunity, wasted!" 

Kahva smiled, and nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me. You take that way," she gestured up to one side of the carnival, then down the other, "and I'll take that one. If I find him first, I'll let you know." 

"And if_ I_ find him first," a glint lit the young woman's eyes, "I think you'll know!" 

Laughing a little, the two friends set off in search of Billy, neither of them seeing the two sets of eyes that watched them with evil lust and hate. "Go after that child," Delnas commanded. "If the other Rangers see you, pretend to be normal, at least for now, I want her feeling unsure of herself, and isolated. If she doesn't voice her suspicions to anyone, or if they feel she's not seeing things clearly, then your job will be easier, my clone." 

Delnas smiled as his perfect evil creation trotted off after the mysterious young woman. _I'd like to know who you are, what you look like, little one, and why I feel such old power around you... but after today, it doesn't matter who you are. I do so hope you enjoy this birthday of yours. Too bad I'm getting the best present... Sheena Devereaux, all mine, for all eternity!_

* * *

Kahva wandered down the packed dirt paths, shivering every now and then. _Those weird threads, I kept feeling them everywhere in the Hall of Mirrors, but now they're gone. I must be getting sick. It's either that, or I'm just way too paranoid. Mondo's not going to bother us today, and if he does try anything, I'm sticking in the Power Chamber like I was glued there! _

She glanced casually back and forth, waving when she saw Jason and Emily walking back from the Tunnel of Love. The Gold Ranger appeared mostly happy, his eyes taking on a slightly lighter shade when he saw her. She would've stopped and spoken if she hadn't been looking for Billy... and if she hadn't seen the venomous look directed at her by the other young woman. Kahva gritted her teeth and kept walking. "Won't she_ ever_ learn?" Kahva muttered to herself, keeping a false smile on her face while she was still in Jason and Emily's field of view, then dropping it the instant they couldn't see her anymore. _ Hel-loooo, Earth to Emily! Get a clue and a heart, I'm not after Jason! I would NEVER try to break you two up, why can't you understand that?_ Shaking her head, she continued on with her search. 

"Where are you, Billy?" Kahva murmured, trying to find him with eyes and mind both. She lowered her mental block slightly, 'glancing' at Sheena to see if she'd found Billy yet. The Silver Ranger was still searching it seemed, things were a trifle fuzzy where she was concerned. _She shouldn't be fuzzy to me, this is just too weird! Something rather odd is going on here... _

"Kahva?" The young woman jumped slightly at the sudden sound of her own name. She looked up to see Billy gazing at her, a quirky little smile on his lips. "Are you looking for someone?" 

_Where the heck did he come from? Man, I really must be out of it, I didn't hear or sense him at all! _ She smiled in relief at the sight of him. "Yeah I am, for you! Where have you been, Sheena and I have been looking everywhere for you! Did you sneak out of the Hall of Mirrors on us?" she teasingly accused. 

He nodded a little. "Yeah, I did. I wanted to get these," he explained, holding out the most beautiful bouquet of silvery-white roses Kahva had ever seen in her life. 

_They have roses here? This day is just full of surprises! _ "Oh, Sheena's going to love these!" she smiled. Her eyes widened with surprise as Billy stepped forward and unexpectedly pressed them into her hand. _ What is he doing? And why do I feel so cold all of a sudden around him? Good grief, he's even physically cold, his hands are like ice!_

"They're not for_ her_, my dear Kahva." In the few months she had been here, she had never heard such hate and disgust in Billy's voice, not even for Mondo or Master Vile. "They're for you." 

Kahva couldn't, and didn't, believe her eyes or her ears. The beautiful flowers dropped unnoticed to the ground at her feet as she shook her head in confusion. "Billy," she murmured. "What are you doing?" Kahva tried to sense him, to feel his emotions, but he was fuzzier than ever to her. _It's almost like he's not even right here in front of me, but very far away... and our link is... fading? What is going on here!_

The Sapphire Ranger leaned forward, pressing a light, almost fairy-like kiss to her hand before she nervously snatched it away. "Only a gift for the fairest of the fair," he said with a smile she didn't really trust on his face. "Happy Birthday, beautiful." 

"Billy," Kahva began as she started to back away from. "Billy, Sheena's been looking for you, she's going to want to know that you're okay, she's a little worried, I think, why don't we -" 

The young man shrugged unconcernedly, then abruptly scowled ever so slightly. "I've got better things to do with my time than to waste it on that neurotic bubble-brain!" he growled. "She really gets on my nerves with this constant worrying about, 'Where's Billy, where's this person, that person, what to do, where to go... yada, yada, yada... She needs to chill out sometimes, you know?" Kahva shivered at the tone in his voice, he'd never talked like that about anyone before. "I'm sorry," he sighed, "I didn't intend to be mean, but it is something that has been bothering me for quite some time. It would be nice if she were more like you, Kahva. I just wish I could talk to her as easily as I can talk to you." Billy's smile and outstretched hand seemed friendly and benign enough, but Kahva couldn't bring herself to take his hand, there was something not right in his eyes, something that chilled her to the bone. 

_Run! _her instincts yelled at her. _ Or is that somebody else's voice... What is going on here!_ Kahva shook her head to try and clear her mind, moving away from the young man. _ This isn't right, he's not acting right... I've got to tell the others, something's happened to Billy!_ She turned around and started running, quickly leaving Billy behind. _Sheena! Sheena, can you hear me? Something's wrong with Billy! Sheena! Talk to me, please!_

But there was no answer from her soul-sister, only the very palest feel of Sheena's mind. As Kahva ran, her heart dropped. She didn't know what was going on, but deep down she knew it was _wrong._

* * *

"Well now, little Ranger," Delnas chuckled. "What do you think of my clone? Not very handsome of course, since he is a clone of _you_, after all. But he will do the job he is meant to do, and do it quite nicely, I believe." The wizard stood smugly, arms folded, waiting to see his young captive's reaction. 

He didn't have to wait long. Billy growled, the only sound he was able to make, and spat at the wizard. Delnas, too far away to be affected by the defiance, only laughed. "Oh my, I don't think you like me anymore! I'm so hurt," he sneered. "You idiots all fell for my act so easily! I really didn't think you would, but each and everyone of you has thought I was your friend for almost a full year! You are all a bunch of fools, I can't believe how stupid you all are! Your idiocy is incredible!" he exclaimed with a evil laugh, thoroughly amused with Billy's helpless frustration. 

_He's not the only one who doesn't believe this,_ Billy sighed, trying fruitlessly again and again to reach his beloved Sheena. _I have to warn her something's going on, that this guy is after her. I can't let him do this! _ Failing to contact the Silver Ranger, he tried again to contact Kahva. _ I think I almost got through to her just then, when my clone was with her... Oh man, I know what he's going to do, I've got to keep her away from him somehow! He really does feel things, he really does have emotions. Dark emotions, but emotions nonetheless. Kahva, Sheena, one of you, please hear me! _ A fuzzy silence was his only reply, it seemed neither woman could hear him anymore. _Somebody hear me, please! You guys have to stay away from my clone! Sheena! Kahva! Somebody please hear me!_

Delnas snorted at his captive's misery, then turned back to his scrying crystal. _After so long, _he thought, bringing up an image of Sheena in it, _she will finally be mine. The living image of her ancestor, my own true love. Before this day ends, she will belong to me, forever!_

He watched as Sheena wandered through the carnival, casting a few more of his spell-threads as he gazed at her. "So beautiful," he whispered softly. "And soon to be all mine. All my waiting and planning shall not be in vain, my dearest. Soon you shall be taken away from all this... mundaneness, and our life together will be perfect... and eternal."

* * *

Kahva kept running, she wasn't even sure where she was going... and didn't really care right then. All she wanted right at that moment was to be closer to Sheena, and far away from Billy. _ Maybe he hit his head or something, or maybe he's sick? _she tried to convince herself, wanting so badly to find some reason for his strange behavior. _Or maybe I'm sick and imagined it, imagined the whole thing, took what he said the wrong way, I don't know... but it COULDN'T have been what I thought it was! It just couldn't! Could it? _ "I have to find Sheena," she muttered to herself, stopping for a moment and looking around. She couldn't see her best friend anywhere, and it was beginning to worry her a bit. _ Get a hold of yourself, you won't find any answers if you're running around like the idiot you are! Settle down and see if you can't be the calm, smart girl that everyone seems to think you are for some reason!_

"Kahva?" She turned to see Jason looking back at her. Emily was thankfully nowhere in sight, and she could see the other Rangers, minus Sheena and Billy, coming up. "Kahva, are you all right?" 

_Thank you Lord for that small blessing, Emily is the last person I want to see right now. She'll only find some way to turn this into an argument with Jason, tell him I'm only acting worried to get his attention. I really shouldn't worry so much probably... But where IS Sheena though? Come on girl, answer me, please! _But the pale feel of Sheena's mind was only paler. For whatever reason, her sister either couldn't, or didn't want to hear her right then._ What is going on?_ Catching Jason's concerned gaze, she shrugged her shoulders, answering his question as best she could. "As far as I know I think _I_ am, but I'm not so sure about Billy." 

"Billy?" the six of them chorused softly. Moving to one side of the carnival to escape the traffic, Rocky asked, "What's wrong with Billy? Did Mon...?" He left the name unfinished, just raising his eyebrows in query. 

"I don't think so," she replied. "I... I'm not sure just what is going on here." 

Kat took a deep breath. "Start from the beginning," she advised her friend. "That's usually the best method." 

Kahva nodded, and invoked one of the calming exercises Master Madas had taught her, trying to get her mind to settle down. "It sounds a little silly, really," she said, "now that I think about it. Billy snuck out of the Hall of Mirrors ahead of me and Sheena, then when we split up to go look for him, I ran into him back down that way," she gestured behind her. "He had this beautiful bouquet of flowers, and he was saying..." Kahva blushed then, partly in shame, partly in flattered remembrance, and partly in she knew not what._ Please just let me be overreacting... But if that's all it is, why does everything feel so wrong? Billy has never talked about anyone like he did Sheena, could they be having problems none of us knew about?_

"What was he saying?" Tanya asked, glancing over at the others. Kahva seemed slightly hysterical to her, or either was coming down from being a bit hysterical in the past few minutes. Whatever she was saying or doing, it wasn't going to be at her mental peak. All the Rangers had near identical looks on their faces: Kahva wasn't making much sense to any of them. 

"That... I... was beautiful." She blushed a deep, rosy red at that. "Then... he kissed me," her fingers brushed her cheek. "And he was saying things... mean things about Sheena." 

The Rangers exchanged unbelieving glances, then Tommy touched Kahva's shoulder gently. "Are you _absolutely_ sure?" he asked. "I mean, that doesn't sound like Billy at all, you know." Tommy wanted to believe Kahva, something had very obviously upset her... but _Billy_ of all people saying mean things about Sheena? To Tommy and the others, that was an event that could never happen, at least not in their universe. 

"I know it doesn't," Kahva nodded, shivering a bit at the memory of the vileness in Billy's voice, the almost slimy-feel to his lips on her cheek. "But..." she started again, her voice pleading for them to understand. 

"I'm sure it was nothing, they've both been under a lot of stress the past few weeks with her sleepwalking episodes and all," Adam suggested. "It's either that, or more likely Billy probably was just teasing you. He'd never do anything to hurt Sheena, we all know that, right?" 

"It _is_ your birthday, after all," Tommy reminded her unnecessarily. "The flowers for your birthday, I'm sure, and like Adam just said, Billy and Sheena have been under a lot of stress. If he said something that sounded mean, he probably didn't mean it. I mean, do you know a couple more sickeningly in love than Billy and Sheena? I'm sure things are just fine between them, if they weren't, we would all know, right?" Tommy gave Kahva a light hug then to reassure her. "I'm sure Billy didn't mean to upset you, Kahva." 

Kahva closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to well up at their disbelief. _Why won't they at least consider the chance something is wrong! Why won't they believe me? After six months here, I'm still the new kid, a stranger! After everything we've all been through, do they not trust me yet? _ Kahva shoved and locked away everything deep inside, getting hysterical wasn't going to help matters any. _I can tell it just by looking at them, they already think I'm hysterical or something. Sheena, where are you! _ She _knew_ Sheena would believe her... if she could ever find her. Part of her wanted to demand that the Rangers seriously think over what she'd just reported to them, but a quiet, "Umm...yeah," was all she said out loud. _ They weren't there, they didn't see him or hear him, they can't understand something they didn't witness, _she rationalized. It was much easier to explain away their disbelief than to deal with it. 

Jason was the only one who didn't say anything, mainly because he saw Emily heading towards him again. _Great timing, Em!_ he groaned inwardly. Biting back the comforting words he wanted to say to Kahva, Jason merely sighed, and a simple, "Let's go find him and ask him," was all that came out. 

"And Sheena," Kahva added dully, not looking a single one of them in the eye. _I have to find my sister, she has to know what's happened. I'm NOT wrong about this... Am I?_

* * *

"Where are you, gorgeous?" Sheena muttered, glancing between the hot dog stands and the popcorn vendors. "Am I going to have to hunt throughout this entire place for you, Billy?" She suddenly shivered for a moment, wondering if she felt eyes on her. A quick glance around proved no one was there out of the ordinary, however. _Must be Mondo again. Sheesh... I hope he at least waits until tomorrow to do anything, I don't want Kahva's birthday screwed up!_

Sheena closed her eyes for a moment, breathing slowly and deeply, reaching out mentally for Billy. She only encountered fuzziness though, instead of the clear awareness that had always been there before. "Billy?" she murmured his name without opening her eyes, frowning. _ This is strange... I wonder if he's feeling okay?_

"Sheena." Her eyes flew open and sparked with joy to see Billy standing in front of her. Sheena completely missed the coldness in his eyes, all that mattered to her was that she had found her husband. 

"Billy!" she smiled, reaching out happily to hug him. "I've already got two tickets for us to go in to the Tunnel of Love, let's go!" she laughed merrily. Her jaw dropped a little as instead of embracing her, he stepped away from her, shaking his head. "Billy, is something wrong?" 

Billy shook his head again, frowning at her. "Sheena, you know perfectly well what's going on. This marriage simply isn't working out, and obviously was never meant to be. I would think the events of the past few months should have proven that to you a long time ago. I know they have proven it to me." 

Billy could have physically driven a knife into her heart, and it would have hurt Sheena less than those words. "Billy..." she whispered, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. "No... you can't mean it." 

"Yes, I can, and I do." His normally warm blue eyes were a pure steel-blue right now, and colder than ice. "I finally realized today that you're not the one I'm meant for, and that you're not meant for me." 

"Billy," she stared, eyes going wide and skin paling with fright. "Billy, we've dreamed about each other, we've got the bond-link, we are meant for each other! And even if we aren't, I still love you anyway! You are my soul, my life -" 

"I'm trying to let you down easy, but it's obvious you are too dense to comprehend what has been going on here," Billy sighed, then stared at her coldly. His next words were spoken softly, but filled completely with menace, and dripping with absolute hatred.. "All right, do you want the brutal truth? I don't love you. I never have, and never will. It was all a lie, and you are nothing but a convenience that I can finally dispose of. Get out of my way," he growled as he pushed past her, snatching the Tunnel of Love tickets out of her hand. "_We'll_ use these, thank you very much," he sneered at Sheena. "My _real_ beloved and myself, that is; I'm off to find her now. She and I have been making plans for several weeks now, and it's finally time for those to be realized. See you around... loser!"

* * *

Billy would have liked to be pacing back and forth in his small cell, but there was barely enough room in there for him to change his mind, much less walk any. _ Sheena needs me, and she doesn't even know it! This idiot can't be allowed to win! Come on, Cranston, put those brains to work! You can get out of here!_ He glanced through the bars; his captor Delnas was nowhere to be seen. _Okay, let's take this one thing at a time. I can't morph, because I can't talk. Which means all I DO have is my brains. That's okay though, I can live with that. _

Billy took a long look at the bars of the cell, trying to find anything he could use to get out of there. _The lock... Maybe I can pick the lock._ He glanced down, running his hands down both sides of the cell, trying to locate it. _ Okay, it would help if there WAS a lock. How does he expect to let me...? Oh, boy... He had BETTER be planning to let me out of here!_

Long moments passed, as Billy searched both his brain and the room. Delnas had done his work far too well, however. The area around the cell had been swept clean of anything that might be useful in escaping, and there was no one he could talk to, even if he had been able to talk, to try and bribe them. _ Even assuming I had anything to bribe them with, and even if I could bring myself to do that! _ Billy exhaled in frustration. _ Who am I kidding? In this situation, I'd try to bribe the Devil himself to let me out of here to save Sheena from -_

"Having fun, little man?" Billy looked up as Delnas lounged his way into the room, taking up a seat on a golden throne in the center of it. He pulled out a small crystal and gazed into it, his fingers weaving over it in strange patterns. "Because I know I am! In a very short amount of time, my beloved will be in my arms forever... and you're the one who's going to send her there!"

* * *

"Having a good time, Em?" Jason smiled at his girlfriend and relaxed finally. He'd been very afraid of Emily spoiling the entire day for everyone, especially Kahva, but for the most part Emily had behaved herself. _ Wish she hadn't made some of those little comments of hers earlier, but she has been worse in the past. Emily has been practically angelic with her behavior today._ Giving the young woman he loved a quick hug, he mentally sighed, _She's nowhere near ready for sainthood, though._

"Yes I am... especially now since we're _alone_. We don't _really_ need to keep looking for Sheena and Billy now, do we? I'm sure that whatever happened after they left the Hall of Mirrors, Kahva just overreacted to it," Emily purred, leaning her head on Jason's shoulder. "She really shouldn't worry so much on her birthday." 

_As if you really mean that! Here we go again! _ "Emily, don't even start - Tommy, Kat!" Jason called out, as he spotted the couple a few yards ahead of them. _Oh no, Kahva's with them! Emily, you had better behave yourself! _ "Kahva, hi! Any sign or Sheena or Billy, you guys?" 

"Not yet," Kahva sighed, carefully avoiding all eye contact with Emily. "Now that you and Emily are here, I've found everybody again at least twice more, except for Sheena or Billy. 

"I'm sure they're just off somewhere having fun all alone like any couple should," Emily piped up, placing a falsely comforting arm about Kahva's shoulders. "And Billy -" 

"Somebody call my name? Hello, beautiful birthday girl." Billy came up from behind Kahva from out of nowhere, wrapping his arms loosely about her waist, while not so subtlely pulling her away from Emily. Jason's girlfriend didn't seem to notice the silent warning to leave Kahva alone that Billy's posture gave, or either didn't care. "Anyone seen Sheena? I've not seen her since after the Hall of Mirrors." 

"Umm, no Billy," Kat replied with a frown. "In fact, we've been looking for you and for Sheena for almost a half hour now. Is something wrong, you got Kahva really worried." _He's being mighty protective of her, _Kat thought, watching how closely Billy was keeping Kahva to him. _ Emily had best behave herself! _

"I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to alarm you earlier," Billy said to Kahva, giving her a gentle hug, but not letting go of her. "Sheena and I still need to talk a few things out, but if I gave you any wrong impressions, I'm sorry. I shouldn't worry you on your birthday." Billy ended his apology with a quick peck on Kahva's cheek. "Forgive me?" he asked, still hugging Kahva close. 

"Umm, sure..." Kahva answered, suddenly not sure how to act around Billy. His hugging her was normal for him, though his hugs for her were usually about her shoulders, not her waist. _Did I overreact a while ago? I don't think I did, but now... I must be losing my mind, I'm actually a little scared of Billy right now! But still, the way he acted earlier... _ Billy took the hint from her slight pushing against his arms and moved them to her shoulders, but still he never once let her go. "So you haven't seen Sheena since the Hall of Mirrors?" 

"No," Billy sighed, resting his chin on Kahva's shoulders. "But I'm sure I'll find her soon enough, and we'll get things settled. It's not that big a deal, really, but if you guys see her, could you tell her that I'm looking for her?" 

"Sure thing," Tommy answered, barely suppressing an involuntary shiver. _ Am I the one nervous around him, or am I feeling Kahva's nervousness? I wish I was better at this link stuff we have, because right now I can't look Billy straight in the eye without feeling something's wrong... But he's acting so normal, it doesn't make sense! _ "Kat and I were about to take Kahva on the Scrambler, want to join us?" Tommy extended the invitation to Jason and Emily as well. 

"No, Jason and I have plans for the rest of the afternoon, plans for just the two of us, so we'll see you later. Hope you find Sheena soon, Billy!" Emily nearly dragged Jason away from the others in her eagerness to get away from Jason's friends. 

"So..." Tommy uneasily started again, as Jason and Emily disappeared into the crowd, "shall we hit the Scrambler now?" _ Emily sure can put a damper on things. What is up with Billy though? Maybe Kahva has made me paranoid with what she said earlier, but Billy's behavior seems... off, somehow. But he's acting normally, isn't he? Make up your mind Thomas Oliver! This is one of your oldest friends we're talking about here, he's either fine or something's wrong! _But Tommy couldn't shake the chill that seeing the Sapphire Ranger with his arms draped around Kahva's shoulders gave him. He became afraid that Billy might pick up on his doubts and started to say something else, only to have a muttered outburst directed at Emily from Billy stop him cold. "Billy!" 

"Sorry," Billy gritted out, then sighed a few moments later. "I really hate how she treats Kahva, but I know I shouldn't talk about her like that, she is Jason's girlfriend after all. Wish he'd get her straightened out or find a new one, though. Kahva, why do you take her abuse? You certainly don't deserve it." 

"It's okay you guys, really," Kahva replied, trying to step away from Billy, only to find his arms unmoving from her shoulders. Instead of letting her go, he seemed to be subtlely trying to draw her even closer to him. "I don't pay attention to Emily's little comments, and you shouldn't either." 

"You are too nice when it comes to her," Billy declared. "But I shouldn't have said what I did about her just then, or let her get to me, you're right." Billy finally released Kahva at that point. "Sure, I'll go with you guys on the Scrambler, it'll clear my mind maybe. And then maybe you can help me find Sheena, Kahva?" He didn't seem to notice the slight hesitance to her nod as he quickly purchased a ticket and joined his friends on the Scrambler. Immediately after they exited the ride, he again put an arm about Kahva's shoulders and led her off into the crowd to search for Sheena. Tommy shivered as he watched them disappear. 

"Tommy?" Kat asked. "Are you okay?" 

Staring into the crowd until he could no longer pick up any trace of his friends, Tommy could only shake his head in reply at first. "I don't know," he finally responded. "Has Kahva made me paranoid, or did Billy seem to be acting weird just then?" 

"He did apologize to her for scaring her earlier. Calling Emily what he did is out of character though; whatever is going on between him and Sheena must really have him rattled." Kat smiled a little, wrapping a comforting arm about Tommy's waist. "As soon as he and Sheena can have a private little talk, I'm sure they'll both be fine." 

Tommy shook his head again. "It's something else, Billy was too... possessive of Kahva, he wanted to leave with her so fast after the ride. If he was really that anxious about Sheena, all he had to do was say so and we could've skipped the ride, just like Kahva wanted to do originally. Kat -" he sighed. 

"I know, I know, you're worried about Billy and Sheena. So am I. But until we have some proof that Billy is acting a little off for some reason other than whatever is going on between him and Sheena, we can't go around accusing him, can we?" Kat kissed Tommy lovingly, then hugged him tight. "Come on, let's check down the midway again, maybe this time we'll find Sheena and get this all straightened out." Kat sighed and looked back where they had last seen Billy and Kahva. "Billy did seem a bit possessive of Kahva, didn't he? I wonder if he's doing that because he feels better with her around, maybe? Could there be something serious going on between him and Sheena that they haven't told us?" 

Tommy shook his head, waving to Rocky in the distance. A shake of the Blue Ranger's head told him that Rocky hadn't found Sheena yet either. "I hope not. Man, I think I'd rather face Mondo's Cogs right now than whatever is going on here. At least I know how to handle Cogs. If Billy and Sheena really are having serious problems... I honestly don't have a clue as to how we're going to help them solve them."

* * *

Deep within the Tunnel of Love ride, Emily snuggled against a fidgeting Jason. She had insisted they go on the ride again, while Jason had wanted to look for Sheena some more. He'd finally given in to Emily's unmoving demands, not wanting a scene with her in front of so many people. "Thank goodness we're alone," Emily purred into Jason's ear. "We definitely had four too many people around us back there." Before Jason could respond to that disparaging remark, Emily shocked him with her next words. "Billy and Sheena will be fine if Kahva keeps her mitts off of Billy." 

"If Kahva does _what!_ Emily, what in the world are you talking about!" Jason broke from Emily's tight hug and turned to face his girlfriend. Daylight was starting to stream into the tunnel, they would soon reach the end of the ride. "Kahva is -" 

"A fake! Oh come on, you can't be that blind and stupid, Jason! She latches on to you every chance she gets, and I've always suspected that she really wants Billy. I mean, why else would she claim to be so interested in Daniel, who just so happens to look exactly like Billy? She's not happy with her own man, she has to go after everybody else's, so she's been trying to take you from me, and now she's going after Billy too. Didn't you see the way she was standing with him? He practically had his whole body wrapped around her, he's fallen for her faster than you have! Stay away from that Jezebel, Jason. That little tramp is nothing but trouble." 

Jason held his temper in check until they exited the ride, then he quickly led Emily behind the ride. "Emily, you have been out of line before, but this is it, _I've had it with you!_ Kahva is not a tramp like you are trying to claim she is, and she has never been, nor is she now after me or Billy! Kahva is a decent and honest young woman, and she doesn't go after another woman's man! And as for this 'attraction' you think there is between her and me, get a clue! Yes, she is attractive, and yes, if I didn't love you, if I wasn't involved with someone and she wasn't involved with someone, there might be a chance for something between us. But I love you, I have always loved you! Frankly, I'm beginning to wonder if you even know the meaning of the word!" Jason started to stalk away from his girlfriend, but whirled back around to face her again. "Get this straight, Emily. Yes, I love you, but I also love my friends. Love isn't something to be hoarded, or reserved for just one person. If you can't handle the fact that I love all my friends, but that you are the only one I'm _in love_ with, then it's over between us, because I'm not going to sacrifice my friends for anyone... not even the woman I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. And just in case you hadn't realized how much I love you, I'll spell it out: the woman I thought I would spend my life with was you. You screamed at me three days ago for going to the jewelry store with Kahva. Well, for your information, she was helping me pick out that ring you're wearing right now, she was helping me find something you would like! And don't try to say you never liked it, because you gushed all over it when I gave it to you last night! That's a promise ring, Emily! Don't you know what that means?" 

Jason waited for a response, but for once, Emily either couldn't, or wouldn't defend her actions. "I guess I shouldn't expect you to know what it means, when you can't even figure out what love is. Love grows with the giving, and everyone is capable of loving several people, and being in love with just one special person, all at the same time. Even you. But since you can't accept that, then it's over Emily, we're through." Jason tossed his car keys to her, "Take yourself home whenever you're ready, I'll get a ride home with Tommy. I'll call before I come over to get my car, Tommy will drive me over I'm sure. It's something that _friends_ do for friends, after all." 

As he turned to walk away he heard a metallic jangling, the only warning he would get before his keys slammed into his back. Picking them up, Jason also found the promise ring he'd given Emily resting in the grass a few feet away, laying where she'd yanked it off and thrown it down. He called out to her, trying to get her to take his car to drive herself home, but she was now standing at a ticket booth within a tight knot of young people. She'd found a group of her old friends, and was coldly ignoring him. _ Fine! Have it your way then, Emily... But I still love you, you were always the only one I was in love with, why can't you understand that?_ Jason sadly gazed down at the ring in his shaking hand; now that his anger was spent, it was all he could do not to cry. _Why did she have to be like that, why! Emily, I love you! Why can't you accept I love my friends too, and that if you had only given them a chance, you could have loved them too? Why?_ Jason closed his hand around the gold ring with the tiny sparkling diamond and fought back his tears. _ It's over, I can't believe it... Can we get back together? Maybe she'll think things over and we can patch things up? Yeah, maybe we can... I hope we can. In spite of everything she's said, I love Emily. I'll call her tomorrow, or the day after, give her some time to think things over, and me too. _

Jason sighed, took a deep breath, and headed in the opposite direction of Emily and her old friends. "Enough feeling sorry for myself," he muttered determinedly. "Time to start looking for Sheena again. Maybe my love life is shot all to pieces, but Sheena and Billy's isn't, and I won't let it get all shot up either. They're my friends, after all." The Gold Ranger smiled to himself, scanning the crowd for his married friends. "Emily will come around, I love her, and she loves me," he told himself, tucking the ring into his jeans pocket for safekeeping. _ She will come around, won't she?_

* * *

"Billy, shouldn't we be looking for Sheena, not riding rides?" Kahva asked, trying to slide away from Billy. After only a few minutes of looking for Sheena, during which time Billy hadn't seemed to be looking for his wife all that hard, he'd presented Kahva with a ticket for the Tunnel of Love. Not giving her time to protest, he'd ushered her into the line for the ride, which hadn't been very long at all, and within a couple of minutes they were gliding along the waterway inside the ride. Billy had put his arms tightly around Kahva's waist the moment they had disappeared from the view of anyone outside and hadn't eased up on his grip one bit. "Billy, we have to find Sheena!" 

"We'll find her, don't worry about it, sweetheart," Billy spoke softly into her ear. "Daniel doesn't know what he's missing, he would have loved being here with you today. I know I'm enjoying myself. I guess his loss is my gain." Billy placed a gentle hand under Kahva's chin and tilted her face to his. "You are beautiful, I meant what I said earlier." 

"Billy, I - Billy, could you ease up a little please? You're holding me too tight. Oh look, the ride is almost over!" she exclaimed far too eagerly, hoping Billy would take the hint. _ Why is he acting like this, he's driving me nuts here!_

Kahva sighed inwardly with relief as Billy did take the hint and scooted away from her a little bit, only keeping one arm draped casually over the back of the seat of the little boat, just like he had been sitting when they had entered the ride. Her relief didn't last long though, as Billy firmly led her behind the ride after they had gotten out of the boat. "Kahva, you are more beautiful than Sheena, did you know that? And you aren't as rough around the edges, I really love that about you. Sheena should take some lessons from you." Billy placed his hands on Kahva's hips; it seemed like he was trying to back her against the rear wall of the ride. 

"Billy, Sheena is just fine the way she is, and you know it! She is your wife and the woman you love; you guys dreamed of each other long before you ever met!" Kahva protested, managing to slip a few feet away from the Sapphire Ranger. 

"But if I had met you before I met Sheena, things could have been very different, Kahva. You two look so much alike, and are so much alike... but different in all the right ways. Come on, admit it, you find me just as attractive as I find you, let's be honest here." Billy started to advance on Kahva then, slowly sauntering towards her. "And just because I'm married to Sheena, that doesn't mean that things are perfect between us." 

_Who's he trying to sway and convince, himself, or me? Why is he acting like this, I don't like it! _ "Billy, we need to find Sheena so you two can talk out whatever is going on between the two of you, and I think we'll do better if we split up. I'll call you on the communicator if I find her, okay?" Not wanting to stay close to him any longer than she had to, Kahva took off in search of Sheena, not bothering to wait for Billy's answer. _Sheena, I need you, something is going on here and you and Billy need to talk badly! Sheena answer me!_ For a moment, Kahva thought she could feel the presence of Sheena's mind, but a wave of coldness brushed by her then, severing whatever possible connection she had briefly made. "I've got to find her," Kahva breathed softly. "I've just got to!"

* * *

Billy watched helplessly through his clone's senses as his double continued to make moves on Kahva. "Stop this, stop going after her! Don't you dare touch her!" he yelled at the images that flashed before his eyes. 

_Not on your life!_ the clone's voice sounded in his mind. _I like your little friend, I like her a lot... And before my existence fades, I'm going to have fun scaring her. Maybe I can even talk my master into making me real for good, I'd love to have her with me forever. Now shut up, my original, I have plans to carry out! _ The clone's voice fell silent in Billy's mind, and the images ceased yet again, just as they had earlier. Billy knew they would be back though... when the clone wanted him to watch what he was doing again. Dejected and frustrated, Billy slumped against the bars of his cramped cell, beginning to fear that he may never see his beloved wife or his friends ever again. "Sheena... Sheena please, don't believe whatever he tells you, I love you! Sheena, hear me, please!" he called aloud and mentally. 

The cold silence deafened him.

* * *

"Billy, where are you? We need to talk..." Sheena muttered to herself, searching the crowds for her husband. She'd spotted the others several times already, but had kept herself hidden from them. _Right now I'm just not up to talking to them, and as soon as they saw me, that is what they would want to do. Wish I could find Kahva though, she's as fuzzy to me as Billy is right now. Even Tommy isn't as clear as usual._ Sheena thought back to where she had spotted Jason and Emily behind the Tunnel of Love; the reason she hadn't approached him then was more because it looked like they were having an argument, than her wanting to hide from him. _ Maybe I should go back and see if I can find him, they were probably arguing about Kahva again, he could use someone to talk to... and I think I could too. I've been hiding from everyone, I'm still not up to talking to everybody just yet, but I think I'm up to talking to Jason, though._ Sheena quickly trotted back to the ride, heading for the area behind it to see if she could pick up Jason's trail._ Jason could help me find Kahva, I really need to talk to her most of all - Kahva? BILLY!_

Sheena's eyes widened as she saw her husband and her soul-sister leaning against the rear wall of the ride, deep in conversation... and Billy's hands were on Kahva's hips. _ What is he doing, he shouldn't have his hands on her like that - why isn't she stopping him though? _ Billy gave Kahva a tender kiss full on the lips before they parted, Kahva merrily skipping off in one direction, with Billy watching her depart, a longing in his eyes that before had only been directed at Sheena herself. 

_Sheena, I need you, something is going on here, and you and Billy need to talk badly! Sheena answer me! _Kahva's voice rang faintly in her mind. Sheena started to answer, but shivered suddenly as a thread of coldness brushed past her. 

"Who - what?" _Did someone call my name?_ Sheena shook her head, trying to clear it. _ Billy... Yes, Billy just called to me! _ Smiling, Sheena called out Billy's name, hoping he would hear her above the crowd. To her eyes, he seemed to stop, as if hearing his name from somewhere. _It's me, Sheena! Billy, we need to talk! Billy? What's wrong? Whatever it is, we can talk it out, stay there, I'm coming! _ Sheena hurried to try and make her way to him through the crowd as she watched her husband stiffen, as if bracing himself for confrontation. 

Then Billy turned to look directly at Sheena and scowled at her, his face twisted into a visage of disgust, all of it directed at his wife. Before Sheena could move towards him, he slipped around the ride, disappearing from her sight. "Billy! Billy!" _ Billy no! Don't leave me!_ But it was too late, her husband was gone. 

Sheena stood unmoving until a cold hand laid itself upon her shoulder. "My lady Ranger?" came a voice she hadn't heard in months. 

Turning in shock, Sheena could barely speak his name at first. "Z-Zimmer? Zimmer, what are you doing here?" 

The tall, thin, odd man smiled and chuckled softly, a sudden breeze lifting stray strands of pale-blonde hair and floating them about his face. "Well, that's not exactly the welcome I had hoped for, but I will take that as a greeting. Hello yourself, my lady Ranger," he inclined his head to her slightly, so as to show respect to her position without drawing unwanted attention to either of them. Turning around in a full circle, he asked, "Do I look like an Earth human? It was much easier to copy the fancier dress style that everyone wore at your wedding than this... casual wear, I'm afraid," he stated apologetically, tugging uncomfortably at the slacks he wore. 

"You look just fine," Sheena giggled, unable to hide her amusement at his slight fidgeting. "You look like you just stepped off of a catalog page, you look fine. It's good to see you, but what are you doing here?" 

"I thought I would come to Earth to see you, my lady Ranger. This... carnival," he gestured to the rides and booths around them, "is very interesting. One thing concerns me though." 

"What's that, Zimmer? And please, call me Sheena." 

"My lady - I mean, Sheena... Why are you here alone, why are you not with your husband?" At her sad face, Zimmer placed a concerned hand upon her shoulder. "Have I said something wrong, Sheena?" 

"No... It's just that..." Sheena sighed, trying to keep her composure. She didn't really want to talk about it, but she couldn't hold back for some reason around Zimmer. He was her friend,_ You have to talk to him,_ something kept telling her. "Billy and I had an argument, and he's been avoiding me ever since. Things were wonderful before we came here, I don't understand what has happened to change everything! Zimmer, I don't know what to do, I want my husband, but he doesn't seem to want me around! What should I do?" 

"What has he said to you?" Zimmer gently inquired. He took her into a supportive embrace, leading her behind the Tunnel of Love ride so that she could talk out everything out of sight of the crowds, and it only took a few seconds for what had happened with Billy to come pouring out of the Silver Ranger. 

"Now I don't know what to think, I just saw him with - a friend of ours, I don't know what they were talking about though. What should I do, Zimmer?" Sheena pleaded with him. "Please, I can use all of the advice I can get right now." 

Zimmer nodded thoughtfully, "Find your husband and talk to him, really talk to him," he advised quietly. "Until you talk to him, you'll never have your answers." Sheena reluctantly nodded, and started to move away, but Zimmer pulled her back into a soft embrace. "He should never have said what he said to you, in my opinion. I'm going to be here all day, my dear Sheena, if you need me, I will find you, and be there for you, please know that. I care about you a great deal. That's the other reason I came here to Earth today, I've been afraid of something happening to you, my magic has shown me that something might disturb you, and it unfortunately looks like I was right." 

Sheena brightened up a little bit at those words. "Do you think Billy is under a spell?" Her hopes were dashed though as Zimmer sadly shook his head. 

"My magic showed me that a time of difficult change was upon you, that is all I've seen. But it showed me that I needed to be here with you, and here I am. Know that no matter what happens from this point on, I will be here for you. Now, go find that ungrateful husband of yours who said those horrid things. He has hurt you badly, and he owes you an explanation at the very least." Zimmer watched the Silver Ranger walk off, her heart heavy with Billy's earlier cold words. "I am here for you, my lady Ranger. I will always be here for you."

* * *

Delnas smiled, watching Sheena sadly make her way through the crowds, still avoiding her friends whenever she spotted them. "Yes, my Sheena, it is nearly time..." 

"I take it you're happy?" the clone walked up to him suddenly, chuckling with satisfaction. "I know I am." 

"Yes, my servant, you have pleased me greatly. Sheena will be mine in a matter of a few hours, if even that long... and your service to me will be over. You have done well." 

"Umm, I want to talk to you about that, Master Delnas," the Billy clone started carefully. "Do I have to cease to exist once you have that Silver Ranger? I've gotten used to living, after all, and this soul-sister of hers is quite a looker, and great fun to terrorize. Can't I stay real and have her as a reward?" the clone looked at his master hopefully. 

"No. It is taking too much of my magic to keep you in existence and to continue my own work to get the Silver Ranger as it is. Once I have Sheena for my own and leave this planet, you will cease to exist. The pocket prison dimension I have your original locked up in won't even exist once I leave here. As for your original himself, I don't know what will happen to him once it collapses, and I don't care in the least." Delnas looked at his clone, his expression seeming to soften slightly, then he waved his hand off towards a section of the carnival that they hadn't gone to yet. "There. I've created a pocket of magic behind a closed ride they call the "Haunted House". You will be able to make sure that Sheena will only see and hear what you want her to see and hear behind that ride, and no one else will be able to see or hear anything that happens inside of it at all, for as long as you are there. Get that child in there and have fun with her, I don't care what you do to or with her, just make sure it drives my Sheena away from her and the Rangers, and makes her feel all alone." Delnas smiled evilly, placing a frigid hand on his creation's shoulder. "But don't get so carried away that you can't hear my summons, I will need you to strike the final blow to Sheena's heart, driving her away from the Rangers and this world forever. Perhaps once she relinquishes her Silver Crystal, you can use its powers to stay in existence," he lied to his evil clone. 

"She's going to give up her Silver Crystal? How can you be so sure?" 

"Trust me, if you do your job well enough, she'll give up _everything_ that reminds her of her friends. I can't make any promises about whether the Crystal will keep you alive, though." Delnas watched as his clone thought over the lie for a few minutes, and decided to believe it. "Now go, and take care of that little friend of hers. Let Cranston watch every single moment of what you do to her, but don't you dare hesitate to answer me when I call you, understood?" 

The clone of Billy Cranston nodded with an evil smile and took off for the Haunted House, eager to launch the final phase of his master's plan. _Yes, things are almost ready, Sheena has only one friend left on this planet, or so she thinks. Oh Sheena, your time here is so short now, and your time to spend eternity with me is so near... I wonder what WILL happen to Cranston once the pocket dimension collapses... Bah, it doesn't matter. He'll either exist trapped outside of space and time for all eternity and beyond, or he'll die here a bitter and broken man, knowing that he'll never taste the sweetness of Sheena's lips ever again, never hear her loving voice float softly to his ear... _ Delnas smiled to himself and laughed coldly, slowly vanishing in a dark grey fog of magical teleportation. 

_ Either way, that stupid Ranger is condemned to die of a crushed heart... and I will finally have my love, just as I should have had her fifteen thousand years ago. Do you hear me, Kahva Kilanye! I have your descendant, I have won!_

* * *

"Sheena!" Kahva had decided to stay separated from the Rangers and to look for Sheena on her own. _They don't seem to really believe me anyway, I'm not sure I believe myself anymore, but I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong here! _ As her wanderings brought her to a quieter part of the carnival, she glanced up briefly. Kahva was behind the closed-up Haunted House; it wouldn't be opening until later that day. "Sheena, where are you?" she vainly called out again. _ And why can't I sense her right? She's so fuzzy to me now, I can barely sense her at all!_

She glanced all around. "Sheena! Sheena, where are you, answer me! Everyone's worried about you and Billy!" _At least I am, everyone else thinks I've gone totally starkers, most likely._ She shivered a moment, suddenly realizing she was completely alone behind the haunted house, there wasn't a single soul in sight anywhere. "Man, it's too quiet back here. Where is Sheena?" She felt a cold chill run down her back, and had the terrible feeling someone was behind her. "Who's there?" she asked harshly, beginning to turn around. Automatically her hands flew to her communicator, ready to call for help no matter who might see her do so. 

Strong arms quickly wrapped themselves around her, pulling her into a close, tight embrace. Kahva just managed to see who it was holding her. "What? Billy? What are you doing, you scared me half to death!" 

"Hi there, gorgeous," Billy chuckled. "Just wanted to say hi." 

"For Pete's sake, Billy," Kahva relaxed just a little, despite the fact his arms were still around her. "Just say hello next time, then!" _Sneaking up on me to surprise me is normal for him... Have I been overreacting? Good Lord, I don't know what to think or how to act around him anymore!_ She tried to move away, only to find Billy's arms were too tightly wrapped around her. "Umm, Billy, you can let me go now, we still need to find Sheena." 

He shook his head. "No, we don't." 

_Oh, man... I don't like being this close to him! Something's wrong with him! Okay, okay, stay calm, act normal, don't get all hysterical here. Everyone else already knows you've been an idiot about all of this today, so don't act like even more of one!_ "What, have you found her already? Then let's go!" Kahva tried to move away again, only to find she still couldn't, his grip was too tight on her. "Billy? Billy, what's going on?" Kahva tried to fight down the wave of panic that was clawing at her mind. After all, this was Billy, her friend! Adam had said, and everyone had agreed that she'd just gotten the wrong impression about his behavior earlier, and Billy himself had apologized for worrying her earlier. _So why do I want to run for the hills right now? Heaven help me, I'm scared to death of my soul-sister's husband right now!_

She stiffened, her blood turning ice cold, as Billy's hands began to try to get under her shirt. "Don't worry about _her_," he hissed. "Sheena doesn't matter. She was only a convenience, Kahva dearest." 

"Convenience?" Kahva had _no_ idea what he was talking about, but was increasingly afraid she was about to find out. _I'm NOT imagining this, I'm NOT!_ "What the heck are you talking about? Sheena does matter, and stop doing that!" She shoved his hands away from her as much as she could._ Sheena, where are you! Tommy! One of you, please hear me!_

"A convenience," Billy's voice was liquid. "To get to you." 

"Get to me?" Kahva swore to herself at the quaver in her voice. _Don't be stupid and weak, don't let him know he's scaring you - TOMMY! Get over here, now! PLEASE!_ "Billy, are you feeling all right? You're not acting right, stop that!" She finally managed to get a couple of steps away from the Sapphire Ranger and stared at him. "Billy, if this is a joke, it isn't funny! You've gone too far this time!" Kahva tightly clenched her hands, fingernails digging into her palms, fighting against the fear and panic that threatened to paralyze her. 

"This is no joke, beautiful," Billy purred, a lustful smile crossing his features. "No joke at all, sweetie." 

Kahva backed away from him, eyes widening as her mind whirled wildly, trying to figure out why Billy of all people was behaving this way, and not liking any of the possibilities that were coming up in it. "Billy, whatever this is, stop it! I don't like it at all, and neither will Sheena!" she warned him. 

"I really don't care what she likes!" Billy shrugged casually as he slowly advanced on the frightened young woman, leering at her. 

She stared at him in disbelief. _I can't be imagining this, I'm NOT imagining this!_ she told herself again. _ Sheena, Tommy, one of you hear me and get to the Haunted House ride, please! _"You don't mean that! Billy - !" Kahva backed up, shivering as she realized she was right up against the Haunted House, and had nowhere to run. _Run! This is Billy, I shouldn't have to run from him, he's my friend!_ Billy was beside her in an instant, half-pinning her to the wall. _This is wrong, all wrong! I've got to get out of here, I've got to get away from Billy! The others are going to have to believe me now, I've got to make them believe me somehow! _ Kahva's blood froze as Billy captured her with cold, desiring eyes. 

"Oh, but I do," he smiled harshly, his arms on either side of her as he leaned against the back wall of the vacant ride. "I mean every word of it, beautiful." 

"Leave me alone, Billy!" Kahva protested. "Sheena! Somebody!" Kahva tried to squirm away, only to have Billy suddenly run his tongue along her neck. _ This can't be happening, this can't be happening!_ "Get away from me!" she shouted, trying her best to push him away. "Somebody help!" 

As his hands caressed her neck, forcing her to look at him, she almost growled, "Let go of me! Billy, don't make me doing something you'll regret, please!" _I don't want to do this, please let him stop right now!_

"You won't regret this," he shook his head, his cold lips brushing hers. "And I know I won't either!" 

Kahva steeled herself, then slammed Billy as hard as she could below the belt with her knee. "Snap out of it!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping to make Billy stop by sheer force of will. Kahva tried to move away, only to have him grab her tightly, pulling her into a kiss that nearly made her lose everything she'd eaten for the last few days. _This is NOT Billy! I don't know what's going on, but this is all wrong!_ She kept her lips pressed together as long as she could before snarling out a fierce, "Stop!" 

_NO!_ her mind screamed, as she realized her mistake all too late. Opening her mouth to shout didn't stop Billy, it instead allowed him to shove his tongue in between her lips, forcing a fierce, harsh, french kiss on her. Kahva continued to struggle, beating on him with her fists, trying to get the leverage for a kick at her attacker, but to no avail as Billy seemed not to even notice her attacks. _ Got to get away!_ Trying to level a harder kick she slipped, then lost her balance as Billy tripped her up quickly. Not giving her a second to recover, Billy slammed her into the ground, never once letting up on his unwanted kiss. 

"Please... no..." Kahva whispered as much as she could after Billy finally moved back to laugh at his victim softly, running cold fingers through her hair. Kahva's thoughts were too jumbled up now for her to be able to do much of anything but lay there; her continuing wild, frantic attempts to escape were borne purely out of a sheer, automatic instinct for survival. 

"Yes!" Billy laughed harshly, gloating down at her as he knelt beside her, keeping a firm grasp on her arms. He had no intentions of letting his prisoner escape his attentions. Billy swiftly forced another harsh, deep kiss on her that kept up for longer than Kahva wanted to think about. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Billy stopped and stared down at her with glittering blue eyes. _ Nooooooo.._. With tears welling up in her eyes she whispered, "Why?", all the time terrified of what he would do to her next. 

"You know you want to be with me," Billy purred sinisterly, a lustful smile curving his lips, his expression becoming all dark and twisted. 

"No!" she shook her head vehemently. "No I don't! You're married to Sheena, Billy, and even if you weren't, she loves you! I would never interfere with that, and I never will!" 

Billy looked down at her, sending chills flying up and down her spine, wracking her body with uncontrollable shivers. "I love you, Kahva," he told her in a desiring, husky voice. "I have loved you since as far back as I can think." 

"No, you don't love me, not like that!" Vainly Kahva tried to shove Billy away from her, struggling against his grip, wanting nothing more than to be universes away from him at that very moment.. "You're married to Sheena!" 

"Not for long, I'm not!" 

"You don't mean that!"_ I don't believe that, I won't believe that! He's lying, he does love Sheena, he does! _ The trapped young woman's stomach turned nervously at the grin Billy directed towards her. _He has to love Sheena, he can't mean any of this... Why is he looking at me that way? Oh God, please make him stop, please!_

Billy chuckled cruelly at Kahva's obvious discomfort, caressing her arms all the while, but never once letting go of her enough for her to try and get away from him. "Why would I want to stay with her when I can have _you?"_

_No, he didn't say that, no..._ The helpless girl shook her head in fearful disbelief. "Y-You don't mean that, Billy! You don't really want me, and you know I don't want you!" Trembling, and in shock, Kahva couldn't resist her captor as he pulled her closer to him, and into another violating kiss. 

"Oh, but I _do _want you," he murmured into her lips, kissing her so fiercely that it seemed to Kahva he was trying to suck her entire face off with the kiss. "And in due time, you'll want me just as badly." 

Somehow Kahva managed to pull herself away from him slightly, fighting valiantly to get his hands off her. "I don't want you Billy, stop this right now!" 

"You _do_ want me, and you _do_ want this!" Billy hissed angrily. "And even if you don't want it, _I_ do, and that is all the reason I'll ever need!" 

"No!" Kahva yelled, shaking her head, trying desperately to shove him away from her. _Why can't he just leave me alone! I don't want him, what part of no doesn't he understand! _ "Stop this Billy, right now!" _ I need help, now!_ Left with no other choice, Kahva did something she had never thought she would ever have to do to a friend: she slapped Billy, hard enough to leave the print of her hand on his face, hoping that would stop his advances long enough for her to call for help on her communicator. Her entire body froze, paralyzed as time seemed to hold its breath, waiting for Billy's reaction. 

A light, almost caressing growl issued from him as he grabbed her wrists savagely and held them tightly over her head, swiftly pinning her tightly back onto the ground. His eyes seemed to glow with a desire she had never had turned on her by any man, and most especially not by Billy. No matter how hard she tried, Kahva could not move her hands or wrists, much less activate her communicator._ Shift... I've got to shift us to the Power Chamber, Zordon and Alpha can help me, gotta shift!_ But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shift, she couldn't feel Billy's Sapphire Power and tap into it._ No... he's blocking me! Or my abilities are gone... Oh please no, I've got to get out of here, don't let it be that, I've got to get away from him! I've got to get us to the Power Chamber, I've got to get help! _ Before she could make another attempt to shift however, Billy's next actions shattered any and all slivers of concentration she had left. 

Slowly leaning down, Billy licked his victim's neck almost as a cat would lick at a most delicious bowl of cream. "Mmmm... you taste good!" he laughed a little, avoiding her attempts at kicking him away quite deftly. 

"Stop this, leave me alone! Someone help me!" Kahva screamed at the top of her lungs. _Sheena, help me, please! Tommy! Anybody!_

He shook his head. "No one's going to come to your rescue, little one. No one can hear you," he told her as he licked again and again on her neck and lips. "No one except for me: the only man who will ever truly love you, Kahva Briton." 

"Get off me!" she snarled, kicking as hard as she could. There could be no holding back in her fighting now; friend or no, Billy _had_ to be stopped. "I said NO!" Kahva trembled terribly as he rammed her legs flat to the ground, brutally forcing her entire body completely prone, then laid on top of her to keep her that way. Her heart was beating so fast, she feared it might explode right out of her chest in pure fright. 

"Now," he breathed into her ear, nuzzling against her neck, "isn't this cozy, my love?" He smiled at her with a sickening leer. "Just think, once I drop that bad habit I married by mistake, we can do this and more every night!" Billy laughed as his captive's terrified body trembled beneath his own. "And we will," he promised, squeezing her wrists together until she screamed in pain. 

Kahva shivered, trying desperately to figure out some way to escape from her captor. He was too heavy for her to try and kick off of her now, even if she could move her legs from their constrainment between his strong legs. Anything else Billy had in mind for her, she could do nothing to stop she realized, as her heart sank in despair. "No!" she wept, unable to hide the tiniest shred of her helpless fear from him anymore. "Billy, stop this! I don't love you, get off me, please!" As he purred an evil 'no', she cried out, "Somebody help me! " 

The Sapphire Ranger leaned over, forcing another deep and hideously long kiss onto her, then traced his tongue across her cheek and neck. Securing her wrists cruelly in one hand, he ran the other down the buttoned front of her shirt, pulling it out of her jeans before her terrorized mind could register what was happening. "We're going to have a very long life together," he whispered in her ear, his voice full of hideous promise. "And it starts once I get rid of my soon to be extremely ex-wife." 

"P-please," she whispered over and over, quivering in fear as he unbuttoned first one, then another button at the bottom of her shirt, then rested a cold hand on her trembling stomach, caressing her in a way that only a husband should caress his wife. "St-st-stop..." she wailed softly, keeping her eyes clenched tightly shut, unable to bear seeing where his hand might travel next. _I can't, I can't... But I can't stop him either! Somebody please stop him! _

All at once, Billy's weight left her body, and her wrists were abruptly released. A few seconds later, they began to throb as the circulation returned to them. _ Wh-What? _ By some miracle, Billy had gotten up and released her. _ Has he come to his senses? I - I can't look at him, I can't!_ As if also released from their own imprisonment, all of her fear and terror flooded suddenly throughout Kahva's body, wracking her with involuntary cold, hard shivers. 

Her captor looked down at her as she curled up into a tight, trembling little ball. "I've got things to take care of lover, but I'll see you again, my dear!" Kahva barely noticed as Billy, whom she had always thought of as a friend and brother, walked off, chuckling softly to himself. 

Kahva turned away from the sound of his footfalls, covering her face with her hands, her tears mixing with the dirt on her face. "Why?" she cried to herself. "Why is he doing this? Why!" Kahva's heart sank as another horrible thought assailed her suddenly. _Oh God, Sheena's going to kill me when she finds out about this, she is going to hate me! I'm so worthless, they're all going to hate me for this... Oh God, why me, what did I do wrong, why me!_

* * *

Sheena wandered through the carnival with her head down and her heart breaking. _How could Billy have said those things to me? What is going on? It's got to be some trick, it has to be, Billy's not like that! Yeah, that's it, Mondo or Master Vile is up to something, I know it! Maybe I can burn it out of him... I don't know though, I've never used the Silver Flame on another living person before._

Her head came up as suddenly she heard Kahva's voice floating from behind the closed Haunted House ride. _ I really need to talk to her, Kahva will know what to do, she always knows how to help everyone._ She was about to call out for her friend, when she heard Billy's voice as well. Something stirred her to simply listen and watch, as her feet drew her behind the Haunted House to see them both standing there, locked in a passionate embrace. _Billy... Kahva! No!_

"Oh Billy," Kahva whispered breathlessly as she gazed up into his dark blue eyes. "I'm so glad we don't have to hide this any longer. I just couldn't take not being with you any longer! Having to pretend to care about Daniel, having to pretend to think of you as just a friend..." Kahva shivered slightly, pulling Billy even closer to her for comfort. 

He kissed her tenderly, gently brushing the hair back from her forehead. "We don't have to pretend any more," he assured her, his voice full of precious love for the woman in his arms. "I'm going to divorce Sheena, and then we can be married, my dearest. We'll be together forever." 

"Forever together," she whispered, her dark eyes shining with unbridled love and passion for the man holding her in a tight lover's embrace. "Always and eternity." 

_NO! NOOOO!_ Sheena could bear it no longer. Eyes welling up with tears, she turned and ran, heart shattered beyond repair, her mind whirling with images of what she had seen, and what she_ knew_ they were going to be doing next. 

_They... all this time... ever since Kahva got here... they... why... WHY... have to think... have to think!_ Her feet swiftly carried her out of the carnival and into the woods surrounding it. Only her instincts, wild and primeval, guided her now. She needed peace, and there was only one place where she could find it now: a witch's contemplation circle, sealed off from all that could or would harm her, safe forever. 

As she ran, a shadow detached itself from the walls and followed her. _ And what are you feeling now, my dear?_ Delnas thought softly._ Betrayal? Loss? Pain? That's just what you SHOULD be feeling! My clone has done his job very well, very well indeed,_ he gloated, already sending the mental summons to his servant, commanding him to prepare for the final blows to the Silver Ranger's shattered heart. _Your soon to be ex-husband will never be trusted by the other Rangers ever again, his heart will be broken for all eternity when he finds out you are gone... and your little 'sister' will never trust him or the others ever again. The Rangers will never find you and they will suffer terribly, not ever knowing what happened to you. You will be mine forever, my dear._

He laughed softly as he followed her. It was time for the next, and almost final, stage in his plan. Things were proceeding perfectly. _Nothing_ was going to go wrong.

* * *

Kahva lay on the ground, curled into a tight ball, sobbing helplessly. She couldn't believe what had happened. _ How can this have happened, why! Billy doesn't do things like this... but he just did!_ He was her friend, her brother, the husband of her soul-sister, but with the way he'd been acting, she would rather have been near Mondo than him! At least the Machine King's motives were clear and simple: world domination. But Billy's... Billy... "Nooo," she whispered hoarsely. "Nooo..." 

"Kahva!" She heard a voice calling her name, and jerked away from it instinctively, unable to stop crying. "Kahva! It's me, Jason!" 

She leapt back instantly into a sitting position as a hand touched her shoulder, stopping only because the wall of the building behind her blocked her escape. "Don't touch me, Billy!" she shrieked, not seeing Jason standing there in front of her for a moment. 

_What the - ?_ the Gold Ranger wondered, staring at the terrified young woman. _What on Earth is going on here! _ His concern and confusion only grew deeper as her expression changed from one of absolute fear, to one of complete disbelief. 

"Jason?" she whispered, casting a quick, frightened look around. "Where's Billy?" she asked in the next breath, her voice quavering badly. 

"I don't know," Jason said as the others came up. To Jason, she seemed not to be able to trust her own senses. "I haven't seen him for over half an hour now, maybe a little more... What happened here?" he inquired cautiously. He couldn't shake the feeling that she still didn't believe it was really him talking to her, as he slowly knelt down in front of her. _ What do I do now? Can I even touch her? What has happened here! _ "Kahva?" he coaxed her again carefully. 

"Billy," she whispered, trying her best to stop the tears that etched their way down her cheeks, cutting ragged paths through the dirt on her face. "Billy..." 

"Did he... do something?" Jason asked, only to have Kahva bury her head in her arms and cry all the more. _ Something's happened to upset her, I don't know what it is, but still... What do I do? Somebody tell me what to do here, please!_

He looked up as the others joined them. "Jason!" Adam called out. "Any luck? Hey... what's going on?" Adam and the other Rangers slowed to a careful halt, caught totally off-guard by the sight of Kahva sitting in a tight ball, huddled against the Haunted House ride. "Jason?" he asked hesitantly. 

"I'm not sure," the Gold Ranger shook his head, doing his best to comfort the distraught woman sitting before him. 

"I'll be okay," Kahva stated in a wavering voice, forcing her tears to stop. _ I'm not going to be weak in front them, I'm not! They've got more important things to worry about than me right now. I can't talk to them about it anyway, they won't understand, no one will! God, I feel so dirty right now, I can still feel his hands on me..._ Shivering, she merely said, "Just give me a minute, please." 

Jason nodded, then looked back to the other Rangers. "No sign of either of them?" 

"We haven't been able to find them anywhere," Tommy frowned. None of them, except maybe Sheena, had ever seen Kahva cry before, except shortly after her arrival in their world, when she had told Sheena about Mr. Devereaux's death. "What's going on here? What's wrong?" 

"I'm not sure," Jason shook his head as Kahva's tear-streaked face looked up. 

"It's Billy," she whispered hoarsely. "He's..." _ How can I say anything without them wanting to know more than I can deal with right now, or tell them? This is Billy we're talking about here; if they didn't believe me before, they'll certainly think I'm lying now! _

"He's what?" came the Pink Ranger's quiet inquiry. 

Kat's voice was so gentle, so caring, it was all Kahva could do not to cry again. She took several deep breaths, trying to focus her thoughts. _ I can't tell them, I can't, they won't understand, or they won't believe me... _ "He's not acting right..." 

Her vague answer drew a shake of the head and a puzzled frown from the Red Ranger. "Something really odd is going on, why can't we find either of them?" Tommy mused. "Sheena's missing, Billy's acting weird... things just aren't right!" 

Kahva glared at them all suddenly, swiftly focusing in on Tommy. "I told you all he was flirting with me before, _now_ you finally believe me that something's wrong with him!" As she realized what she'd said, Kahva buried her face in her hands, on the verge of crying again. "Oh God, I'm sorry Tommy, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" 

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Kahva," Tommy gently told her, coming over to kneel beside her. "We should've believed you from the start - it just didn't sound like Billy at all, what you were saying earlier. Right now... it just doesn't seem like Billy's acting like Billy all of a sudden. Kahva, I'm the one who should be sorry, I should've listened to you." _And because you didn't listen to her, something awful must have happened, for her to be acting this way! Great second-in-command of the Rangers you are, Thomas Oliver!_ he berated himself. 

Kahva nodded slowly, her voice still a little shaky, but mostly firm now, and a bit stronger. "Trust me, he's _not_ acting right at all!" She unsteadily got to her feet, doing what she could to settle herself. "He's even found a way to block my shifting, I couldn't tap into his power to get us to the Power Chamber for help. I would've teleported, but - " Kahva stopped herself right there before she said too much. _ I can't tell them what he did, almost did, I just can't!_ "I never got the chance to teleport us," she finished quietly. It was the truth, after all... just not the whole truth. "If I could've shifted us... Either he's blocking me somehow, or I've lost the ability to shift, I don't know which it is. All I know for sure is that Billy isn't acting right, not by any stretch of the imagination," she asserted again. 

_What isn't she telling us? _the Yellow Ranger wondered, studying the young woman's tear and dirt streaked face. Jason had already borrowed some tissues from Kat and was wiping the dirt gently off of Kahva's face. "Then we've got to find out why he's not acting right," Tanya murmured, and not a single soul could disagree with her. 

Nodding, Kahva stated, "It's got to have something to do with Sheena's disappearance, it _has_ to." To everyone there, Kahva sounded like she was trying to convince herself that was the reason, more than trying to convince anyone else. "Everything was perfectly normal today and going just great until we all got separated in the Hall of Mirrors." 

"And after that, things just started being weird?" Adam asked gently. 

Kahva nodded in reply to Adam's question. "Things have just gotten weirder from then on. I haven't seen Sheena since we split up to look for Billy, either." She looked at the Red Ranger hopefully, "Tommy? Could somebody be doing something here, somebody like Mondo or Master Vile? _Something_ has to be causing all this strangeness." 

"Could be," Tommy nodded thoughtfully, running what they knew of what had happened so far in his head. _ It's not quite like anything either of those villains have tried before, but that didn't mean it couldn't be one of them._

Kahva took a deep breath. "Look, you guys keep trying to find Sheena, find out what's going on with her, please? As for Billy... Somehow, I don't think it will be a problem finding him. With the way he's been acting today, he'll show up right when you don't want him to. I'm going to go back to the Hall of Mirrors; if something has happened to either or both of them to start this weirdness, then maybe I'll find some clues there." 

As she started off, Rocky called after her, "Okay, but maybe one of us should go with you... you know, just in case?" He sounded concerned, and was frowning slightly. 

Kahva pretended not to notice his tone or frown. "No, you guys need to find Sheena and Billy, I'll be fine on my own," she reassured him. "Thanks for offering though, Rocky." She smiled a little, then was gone before anyone could stop her. 

Tommy nodded in agreement with the older girl's statement. "She's right, we've got to find them. If Mondo or Vile's involved in this, they could both be in a lot of danger." 

Everyone agreed with that, but as the others started voicing suggestions as to where to look next for Sheena, Kat noticed Rocky was still staring in the direction Kahva had taken off in. "Rocky?" Kat looked at the Blue Ranger concernedly. "Rocky, what's wrong?" 

He shook his head a little. "I'm not sure... but... I think..." 

"Think what?" Jason wondered, glancing briefly to where Kahva had walked off. _I'm really worried about her, I should have gone with her... Please don't let her run up with Emily anytime soon!_

Rocky sighed, shaking his head. "I think I saw some bruises on Kahva, most definitely on her wrists. I'm almost afraid to guess what it is Billy did that she's not telling us." 

"I don't know what he did," Jason frowned, remembering Kahva's initial reaction to his presence. "But she was lying on the ground all balled up and crying when I found her. She really freaked, and nearly jumped out of her skin when I touched her. She yelled, "Don't touch me, Billy!" and tried to get away from me until she realized I wasn't Billy." Jason's expression hardened slightly as he looked at the Blue Ranger. "Are you sure you saw _bruises,_ Rocky?" 

At Rocky's affirmation, Tommy glanced around. "One thing is certain: we won't know what happened until either she tells us, or we get an answer out of Billy. Guys, I've got a really bad feeling that his 'flirting' with her has gone up a few levels." 

"So do I," Tanya nodded. "And that is definitely _not_ like Billy to scare someone like that. Heck, it's not even like him to flirt!" 

"He's got some major explaining to do, that's for certain," Jason snarled softly. He didn't want to believe Billy had done anything bad to Kahva, at least not of his own free will. But the Gold Ranger wanted, and was determined to get some serious answers. _ And if he did do something bad to Kahva... Oldest friend of mine or no, he'd better be under a spell or something, because otherwise, I'll tear him apart!_

"The sooner we find him and Sheena, the sooner we can all get to some answers," Tommy declared, clapping a reassuring hand on Jason's shoulder. 

Adam nodded, then frowned, his dark eyes troubled. "Guys, what are we going to do if Mondo or Vile _has_ done something to Billy or Sheena... or both of them?" 

Tommy's voice was resolute as he softly replied, "Find a way to reverse it." _ Before it's too late..._

* * *

Sheena leaned against a tree, wiping away her tears. She couldn't get the image out of her head of Billy and Kahva kissing, of him beginning to caress her in the gentle, loving way he had only done with _her_ before... "I... have to think," she murmured under her breath. "Have to concentrate..." She reached absently for her jeans pocket, pulling out the four candles she carried there, no matter what. With shaking hands and aching heart, she marked off the four cardinal points of north, south, east and west with the candles. 

"Maybe I can think straight in here," she sighed hopefully. "Cut off from all evil and distractions... just perfect peace... to think..." She glanced up to the sun, basking in the power and heat emanating from it. "Lady Isis," she whispered skyward, "I need Your guidance in this. I need the Lady's peace..." 

As she began to light the candles, she focused her mind, imagining the circle coming into being around her as she did so. Tears fell down her cheeks, blinding her for a few moments as she paused in the casting. 

"Sheena?" she heard soft footsteps running up to her. "Sheena, what's wrong?" 

Quickly wiping away her tears, Sheena looked up to see Zimmer standing a few feet away. "Zimmer?" _What is he doing here?_

"Sheena, what's wrong?" he asked, accidentally stepping on a candle as he walked closer to her. "You seem upset, my Lady. Is there something you want to talk about? Is there anything I can help you with? Anything at all?" 

Sheena almost said something to him about the candle he had just stepped on, then forgot what she was going to say. _ It doesn't matter anyway, Zimmer's here, that's all that matters. A candle is a candle, after all, isn't it? _"What are you doing here?" she finally asked. He smiled as he sat down, pulling her gently down next to him. 

"I've been looking for you," he told her, patting her hand with great concern. "What is wrong? Has something upset you? Talk to me, please, Sheena!" 

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. _Can I trust him? Well that's a silly question, I know the answer to that already! _ Still, she couldn't stop the involuntary hesitance in her response. "Well... yes... Something has upset me." 

"You know you can talk to me, Sheena," he touched her hand tenderly. "Just tell me all about it, my Lady Ranger - I mean, my dear Sheena. Please... tell me." 

Sighing, she began, "Well, it started earlier today... in the carnival..." 

"Tell me all about it," he gently hugged her, as one friend would another. "You'll feel better, trust me. Sheena, why don't you blow out those candles and break them, you know don't need them with me here." 

She almost shook her head, then nodded suddenly. "But I do need them... well... okay." Almost blank-minded, she did as he had suggested, then sat back down next to him, letting her mind relax from the calling up of the energies she'd been using, releasing the last of them. 

"Now, tell me who has hurt you, tell me who has betrayed you so badly," he suggested, smiling in that strange way of his. 

"B... Billy... and my best friend... almost my sister!" _I can't even bring myself to say her name around him now! Kahva, why did you do this to me, I trusted you! _ The image of the two people she loved the most in this world came unbidden, and unwanted to her mind, causing the pain to surge up in her heart anew. 

"They hurt you, didn't they?" Zimmer more stated, than asked. 

Sheena nodded quickly, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall again. "They were... k... kissing..." 

"They were very intimate, weren't they?" Zimmer told her softly. "And they knew you were watching and they did it just to hurt you, didn't they?" 

_He is such a tender, understanding person_, Sheena thought, leaning against her Eltarian friend for support. _ He's always been there when I've really needed him, and is always so careful about not hurting me... Were Billy and Kahva intimate? I can't remember..._ Shaking her head a little, she replied, "I don't know... they were... I don't know..." 

"Maybe they were going to be," he suggested. "You didn't stay to see, after all. But even if they didn't go that far, they betrayed you, Sheena. That so-called sister of yours has stolen your husband, your husband doesn't love you anymore." 

Tears sprang up in her green eyes, and this time Sheena didn't try to stop them. _ He's right, Billy has proven over and over again today that he doesn't care about me anymore! But maybe, just maybe... _Sheena abruptly smiled, gazing hopefully up into Zimmer's strange blue eyes. "But the others..." 

"Yes, the others," Zimmer nodded sagely. "Now what will they think? How do they feel about them now, how do they feel about you? They only took you in because of your husband, you know that now, don't you?" 

She shook her head again, not wanting to believe Zimmer's words. "Tommy trusts me," she whispered, her heart clinging to this last, desperate hope. "They all care..." 

Zimmer stood up, holding out his hand out to her. She gladly took it, letting him help her to her feet. "Perhaps we should go find them and ask?" he suggested gently. 

"Yes," she smiled as they started through the woods. It was a peaceful, warm day, with only the sound of birds coming through the trees. _ We'll ask, and I know they will say they trust me, they still love me. I just know it!_ Suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, a phalanx of Cogs burst into existence. 

Zimmer simply stared at them, obviously scared of the metal men, as Sheena growled menacingly at them. "What are they?" he asked, backing up. "What do they want, Sheena!" 

Sheena started towards the Cogs, fists clenched in anger and pure rage. "They're scrap metal, that's what they are!" she spat out. _ Finally! Something I can take out my aggressions on! But there is a lot of them! Maybe I should call the others for help... _

"Be careful, my love!" Zimmer called after her, then pressed his fingers to his lips as if he had said more than he had desired to. 

_Why did he do that_? Sheena made a mental note to speak with him about it later, then in the next second she was too involved in fighting to care about it. Long moments passed in the fierce battle, with Sheena using every single trick she knew of in karate and _ki-see_ to keep herself in one piece. _I've got to contact the others, I need help! _ Lifting her communicator to her lips, she started to call for the other Rangers when she spotted them walking up to her through the trees. Billy was with them as well, hanging to the back of the group, not caring to look at Sheena at all. 

"Guys!" she smiled a little, her heart surging with renewed hope and confidence._ Billy and I might be having problems, but the others will come through for me! We're Power Rangers, after all, that's what we do! _ "I need some help here!" she shouted to them over the din of the attacking Cogs, who oddly enough, seemed to be ignoring the newly arrived Rangers. 

Tommy merely shrugged at her in cold indifference. "Why should we bother to help you? You're the great Silver Ranger, surely you can handle a few measly Cogs all by yourself!" 

"Tommy!" she stared at her cousin in shock. _ He's never spoken like that to me or anyone else before! What's going on here!_

Tanya laughed derisively at the Silver Ranger. "Oh come on, like we really need to bother with _you_. Handle them yourself, we've got a party to plan!" 

"Yes, Billy and your soul-sister are engaged, haven't you heard?" Jason called out to her. 

Sheena stopped fighting, ignoring the Cogs that surged around her. "W... what?" 

Billy nodded, a lustful grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, I'm going to marry the woman I _really_ love, ex-wife!" He ripped his wedding ring off his hand and threw it down in front of her in disgust. "Consider that your divorce, Sheena Devereaux! Come on guys, we've got plans to make for my wedding! My _real_ wedding, to the woman I've_ really_ loved all this time!" 

Sheena stared at the ring, shocked and disbelieving, then looked straight at Billy. "No," she whispered, hoping that somehow she hadn't heard any of that right, hadn't seen what she had just seen. 

He nodded harshly at her in reply. "Yes!" he shouted joyfully, then looked to the others. "Come on guys, let's go plan my wedding! Sheena can handle this, she _is_ the Silver Ranger, after all!" 

She watched in complete shock as they walked off, leaving her still surrounded by the rapidly advancing Cogs. _ Billy, no!_ Nothing else seemed to register in her mind, except for Billy's cold betrayal and rejection. _He doesn't love me, he loves Kahva, not me..._

The Silver Ranger was brought back to reality by Zimmer's terrified scream. "Sheena! Help me!" Turning around quickly, she saw him held tightly in the grip of several Cogs. 

"No!" she growled. "I'm not going to lose _this_ friend! I won't!" 

She quickly knocked the Cogs out of the way, and took up a stand beside Zimmer. "Thank you!" he smiled gratefully. "Look out!" he shouted, leveling a punch at a Cog trying to sneak up behind Sheena. "You will not hurt the woman I love!" he growled. "I will not allow it!" Sheena's eyes widened in shock as he blasted all of the Cogs with a wave of powerful magic. "Leave my love alone!" 

The metal monstrosities abruptly vanished into thin air, as if they had never been there to begin with. Sheena turned to Zimmer in surprise, but couldn't ask him how he had just managed his magically miracle for some reason. All she could ask, all that was on her mind was what he'd said in the heat of battle. "Zimmer? L-Love? You called me..." 

"They're gone now, my dear," he took her hand with daring passion. Sheena felt flattered that he cared so deeply about her, even if she didn't really want him to care about her in that way. "Are you all right, my lady?" At her nod, he smiled with great relief and pleasure. "I will never let anyone hurt you, my love. You are all that matters to me in this lifetime, and beyond." 

"You... love me?" she whispered, glancing where the other Rangers had stood only moments earlier. _ Zimmer loves me!_ All of her emotions jumbled up together then, and she sagged into his arms for comfort and security._ They don't love me, never did... But Zimmer loves me! How could this have all happened, how could I have been so blind to the truth?_ Her eyes spilled over with the tears she couldn't hold back any longer, nor did she want to hold them back anymore. "They... they abandoned me... They all did..." 

Zimmer nodded, rubbing her arms comfortingly. "Yes, they did. You should leave them Sheena. They don't love you, they never have loved you. All this time, you've been living a lie." 

"They don't love me..." _He's right! I can't believe I've been living a lie ever since I escaped from Mondo, but I have! _

"Come with me, live with me Sheena," Zimmer implored softly. "I love you. I'm the only one who truly does, or ever has loved you. Please, come with me, Sheena, I beg you. Be my wife, live with me forever." He tenderly kissed her lips, a sweet, wonderful kiss as light as a feather. 

"I... don't know," she murmured, stepping away a little. _ I'm so confused, what do I do? But Zimmer is telling me the truth, he wouldn't lie to me... Would he? _

Zimmer nodded, he of course understood these things took time, Sheena knew. She knew that just as surely as she knew she could believe Zimmer implicitly in everything. "You want to tell your former friends before you go?" he asked her. "They'll deny everything, I guarantee it. They'll deny anything is wrong, they won't even see your pain. Except for Billy, though. He'll tell you he doesn't love you anymore, he'll admit it. He simply doesn't care anymore if he hurts you, you'll see that, I'm afraid." 

Sheena nodded, Zimmer was right of course. _Zimmer is right about everything, he always has been, and always will be._ "Yes, I have to tell them. Maybe they... maybe they didn't mean it, maybe it was a joke?" Sheena didn't believe that for an instant, but part of her wanted to believe it. Even after everything they had done, she still loved the Rangers for some inexplicable reason. 

Zimmer smiled harshly, though Sheena only saw his unwavering love for her. "If they deny anything at all happened, then you will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they meant every word they said to you. Trust me, they don't care about you anymore, and you will find that out soon. Now, let's go find the ingrates."

* * *

"Tommy, can you sense Sheena or Billy any at all?" Kat asked. She hadn't really wanted to let Kahva off on her own anymore than Rocky had. Now, with every passing moment, she wanted to find the Silver and Sapphire Rangers more and more, so they could go back to their older friend. _ This has to get settled once and for all. We've got two people who may be drifting apart on us, and a third who is closing herself off from us, I'm sure of it. We've got to get this resolved before it's too late!_ Kat bit her lip and expectantly waited for an answer from the Red Ranger. 

Her boyfriend shook his head no after a few moments of trying, though. "It's weird, Kat. I can't sense Billy at all, not even a light touch like I can get every now and then. And with Sheena... it's... well... fuzzy. Unclear. _Major_ interference. I don't like this, guys. I don't like it one bit." 

"I don't know much about your links," Adam admitted. "But it doesn't sound too good to me either." Adam thought for a second, then asked, "Maybe they're blocking you really hard?" 

"I don't know," Tommy shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "I don't know nearly as much about this as I'd like to." _When this is all over with, we are going to work on these links more and that's all there is to it! Sheena, where are you?_ he called out mentally one last time, hoping for some kind of response. There was none. 

The six Rangers kept walking through the carnival, continuing their search, until Tanya pointed ahead of them suddenly. "Billy!" She smiled briefly to see their friend lounging against the wall of a ticket-taker's booth near the edge of the carnival grounds, picking his teeth casually. "Billy, where have you been? We've been looking all over the carnival for you!" 

"I've been busy," Billy spat the words out. "Have any of you seen that loser I'm married to?" 

The Rangers stared at each other in pure shock. Never had they heard Billy refer to anyone like that before, much less Sheena. "Umm, no," Rocky shook his head. "Actually, we've been looking for both of you. By the way, Billy... What happened between you and Kahva today? She was really scared when we found her." 

Billy only shrugged, not seeming to care about the older girl's reported upset. "How should I know what wrong with her? I've been busy, like I said." Then he stiffened slightly, tilting his head as if he was hearing something in his mind. It was a behavior the Rangers were quite used to, Billy nearly always acted like this when Sheena was contacting him mentally. But this time, something in his manner seemed off, somehow. "She's nearly at the edge of the woods over there, come on." When the other Rangers didn't immediately follow him, he turned back with an exaggerated, seemingly exasperated sigh and challenged, "You've been looking for her too, right? Well come on, if you really want to find her and talk to her!" 

That was a logic that couldn't be denied, though if not for Adam and Rocky's calming hands firmly grasping his shoulders, Jason would have tackled Billy right then and there, demanding an explanation from him. "Let me go, I'm not going to kill him," Jason growled under his breath. "I'm just going to throttle some answers out of, and some common sense in to him!" 

"We just want him in one piece so we can all get some answers, Jase," Adam reassured the Gold Ranger as they left the carnival grounds and entered the woods, following Billy's strangely unhurried path. 

Whatever other discussion might have happened was broken off as a harsh voice called out an angry, "Hey!" from beside them. One and all they turned to see Sheena and Zimmer standing side by side a few feet away. Jason absently noted an odd, mocking smile on the strange man's face, and he seemed to be absently reaching for Sheena's hand almost constantly, but then pulling himself back._ Almost like how Emily does with me... possessive..._

"Sheena!" Tommy smiled to see his cousin, but wondered at the storm raging in those green eyes._ This just keeps getting weirder and weirder! Why do I get the feeling that the world is about to end? _ "Hey, what's up? We've been hunting all over for you, girl!" 

"Yeah, I just_ bet_ you have," she snarled, marching closer to them and not even looking at Billy. "I want to know just one little thing, people: what in the _world_ did you think you were doing, leaving me and Zimmer to face all those Cogs? We could've been _killed_! I'm good, yes, but I'm not that good! If Zimmer hadn't used his magic, the Lady only knows what would've happened to us!" 

"Cogs?" the Rangers chorused more or less in unison. "There was a Cog attack and you didn't call us?" Tommy asked her incredulously. 

She snorted at him in return, "You were _there!_ You left me! You left both of us!" 

Adam quickly shook his head. "Whoa, wait a minute here, that's not true! Sheena, we've been running all over this carnival trying to find you! Something really weird is going on around here, we've been worried about you!" 

Billy stood up straighter, finally seeming to take interest in the proceedings, and walked a few feet over to his wife. The Rangers were surprised to see fear, hate, rage, and tender love all twitching their way across Sheena's face simultaneously, and all those emotions directed right at Billy. "What's the matter?" his voice dripped dark evil. "Couldn't handle some measly Cogs without a little help, oh Great Master of _ki-see!_" he sneered derisively. 

Her eyes sparked with fiery silver highlights as her lips curled back from her teeth, baring them in a sinister snarl. "Oh that does it," she whispered harshly. "_That does it!_ I've had it up to here with all of you treating me the way you have today, and most especially _you!_" she spat at Billy. She concentrated briefly, and a moment later, her Crystal lay in her right hand, gleaming a brilliant silver. With a powerful throw, she launched it straight at them, as if trying to hit one of the Rangers with it. "Find some other idiot to use that!" she growled, whirling on Zimmer. "Take me away from here," she ordered him abruptly. "Take me anywhere, I don't care where! I want to get as far away from these liars as I possibly can!" 

As she turned back around to glare at them, only the Rangers saw the look of cold triumph that lit Zimmer's face as he reached out to take Sheena gently by one hand. "Farewell, Power Rangers. Your _former_ friend is now the permanent love of me... Zimmer Delnas," were his only words to them before he and Sheena teleported away. Billy shrugged indifferently at their departure, then eagerly bent down and reached out for the Silver Crystal, source of the Silver Ranger's powers, as it lay unclaimed at their feet. 

"Now to stay here with your little friend forever!" he gleefully chuckled. But as they reached the Silver Crystal's surface, his fingers passed right through it. Billy shook his head, frowning, then suddenly smiling rather oddly. "Oh well, it was a thought while it lasted. Guess that's the end of that," he laughed, collapsing into a mere whiff of smoke, his communicator falling to the ground next to the Crystal. 

"What in the world!" Tommy shouted, breaking free of the temporary paralyzing shock they had all fallen into. "What just happened here!" 

Tanya shook her head, unable to find an answer any more than the others could. "I don't know..." She ran over to the Crystal, picking it and Billy's communicator up. "But I do know this: that wasn't the _real_ Billy, it couldn't have been! Remember, our Power Crystals can only be touched by a _Power Ranger,_ and we all just saw that faker pass through this," she held up the Silver Crystal to them, "like it wasn't even there!" 

"Tanya's right," Jason nodded. "We need answers here, guys. Let's go find Kahva and the real Billy, if we can find the real Billy, and then get back to the Power Chamber." 

"Then what?" Adam asked. Silence reigned in the space left after that simple question. 

No one had an answer for the Green Ranger.

* * *

"Let me out of here!" Billy shouted, rattling the bars on his cage. _If I ever get my hands on that clone, I'll rip him apart with my bare hands for what he's done! _ Billy had been forced to watch helplessly as his clone had attacked Kahva, able to do nothing but rail futilely at the impostor from his prison, while the overpowered young woman had been subjected to the evil clone's dark desires. _Kahva please, don't think that was me, please don't believe that was me! I would never hurt you, ever! I would die before ever hurting you!_ he tried to send to her, but received no reply in return, unable to sense her at all. Billy sighed in defeat; if he didn't know the truth, he would've thought the clone was him as well, and would hate him forever. _Please don't believe that was me, please don't hate me, Kahva... Though if she does, and never wants me to even look at her ever again, I won't blame her in the least. I can't blame her... This is all Delnas' fault!_ "Let me out of here now, Delnas!" But Billy's only answer was more images in his mind from his clone, but this time, the clone didn't let him hear anything that was being said. 

He didn't have to. Sheena's hurt was so palpable, Billy wanted to hold her so badly and tell her the truth... _Sheena, I love you! That's not me out there, I'm trapped in a pocket dimension, that isn't me! Sheena hear me, please! _But he couldn't touch his wife's mind at all anymore. All Billy could do was watch helplessly as Sheena turned to a figure standing behind her, the image wasn't clear anymore, however. _Who is that with her? Could it be Delnas? It has to be him! Get away from my wife, you monster!_ Then Billy clearly saw Sheena toss something at the Rangers angrily, then teleport away with the person standing behind her. "Sheena, don't go! Don't leave me, please! I love you!" Billy screamed. _Sheena has always belonged to me, and now I have her Cranston,_ came Delnas' cold voice in his mind. _If you survive the collapse of my little dimension... have a nicely miserable life, stupid Ranger!_

Several things happened all at once then. Billy's cage dissolved into mist, and he could feel the dimension itself falling apart. He rushed about the rapidly shrinking space, but could find nothing to teleport himself out with. _Got to find a way out of here, think Billy, think! _

There was only one thing left to do. Hoping against hope, Billy rushed to where he thought the mirror that led to his dimension had been._ There it is! Got to break through it! _Billy pounded on the glass with all his might, but to no avail. _ Sheena, Tommy... Kahva! One of you, please hear me! Help me, please!_ Billy whirled about to face the collapse of the dimension, its borders rapidly closing in on him. He thought he felt a faint familiar brush of a presence at the edge of his mind, and reached out for it desperately..._ Help me!_

Then he was falling into nothingness...

* * *

Kahva shivered as she walked back inside the Hall of Mirrors, unconsciously rubbing her arms. _ I didn't want to come back here, but it's the only place I'll get any answers, starting the search here is the only thing that makes any kind of sense right now.. Something's wrong with Billy, and no matter what it takes, I want to find out what it is, I have to find out what it is. Even if... Even if it means he still wants to try and force me to... _Kahva shook her head violently, not wanting to think at all about what Billy had tried to do to her, and what he still might do, if given the opportunity. 

Forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand, Kahva tried to remember the route she'd taken the first time through, running it through her mind over and over again._ I walked down this hall, turned here... and I heard Billy calling out something..._

She paused, thinking. _It was right here, I'm sure of it! This is where I last heard Billy, last felt something from him... _ She looked around, trying to find any possible clues, the tiniest shred of evidence that could solve their mystery. A slight glint of metal on the floor caught her eye then. "Hey," she murmured. "What's this?" She bent down and picked up a tiny scrap of metal screen. "This has to have come from Billy's communicator," she realized. Looking at the deep blue enamel on it sent shivers up and down her spine. She was getting a very bad feeling about this... and possibly worse yet, she wasn't feeling any more of those weird threads. _Why have they stopped, why now? What's going on here! Wait... What's that?_ A familiar fuzziness had just brushed her mind, or so she thought._ It couldn't be... could it? _"Only one way to find out," she muttered to herself. "Billy?" she called out hesitantly. She was very glad no one else was in the Hall right then; she felt a little silly doing this, calling out to nothing but thin air. "Billy?" she tried again, but received no answer. 

_Guess I just imagined it. _She started to walk away when a strange 'whooshing' sound caught her attention. Turning around to the mirror wall where she thought the sound was emanating from, a startled, "What the -" was all she managed to get out before a long, muscular form fell from out of nowhere, landing directly on top of her. A sharp elbow in her abdomen forced some of the wind out of her, before it slowly removed itself from her body, the form rolling halfway off of her. _ An elbow? What! Wait a minute..._ Kahva caught her breath in shock as she realized what, or rather _who,_ had just fallen on her. "_Billy?_" she whispered the name for the third time, her heart pounding with fear. _ Not again, not again, please don't let him attack me again!_

_Kahva? _ For the first time since all this had begun in their first trip to the Hall of Mirrors, she heard Billy's mind clearly in her own, and could sense him almost every bit as fully as she ever had before. "Kahva, is that you?" the Sapphire Ranger blinked at her, then pulled back from her in personal shock. "Hey, I can talk again!" 

"Yes it's me... 'Talk again'? What do you mean, what's going on here!" she asked, all at once glad to feel him in her mind again, but still very afraid to be this close to him. With quick words he told her about his abduction, who had held him, and the clone he'd seen made and put into action. She paled visibly at the mention of the clone, barely suppressing the cold shudders that threatened to run through her once again. "Oh, man... it must have been your clone that... that..." 

"That what?" Billy somehow got them both unsteadily to their feet, then they both headed out of the Hall of Mirrors in search of the others. "What's happened?" Then everything he'd witnessed through his clone's senses rushed through his mind all over again, reminding harshly of the attack his evil clone had perpetrated, and he cursed himself. _ After what he did, you have to ask, Cranston! Did you leave yours brains back in that prison, other dimension, whatever it was! _"I'm sorry, Kahva, I remember now, he sent the images to me... Kahva, I'm so sorry for what he did, I wanted to stop him so badly... Did he injure you, are you all right -" 

Not able to look at him, she shook her head, stopping his questions. "That's not important, Billy. Sheena is all that matters, we need to find her before your clone leaves with her!" 

"I'm afraid that's too late," Jason's voice announced before Billy could tell Kahva what the clone had forced him to see. Billy and Kahva looked up to see the other Rangers, minus Sheena, coming towards them. 

"Then what I saw _was_ real, it wasn't a trick?" Billy asked, hoping vainly for some good news, but knowing there wasn't any to be had. 

Jason's eyes were troubled, and clouded even more at Billy's statement. "How did you..." _Is this a trick, is he another clone? If he hurts Kahva... _But Kahva was supporting this Billy, and seemed to trust him, so Jason forced himself to relax slightly. "It doesn't matter how you know, does it? Zimmer Delnas has already left with Sheena." 

Realization dawned on Billy's face as some of the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place at last. "Zimmer Delnas," Billy repeated the words. "I don't believe this. All this time, he's planned this all this time, ever since he first saw her... Guys, I've got a lot to tell you, and we've got to get to the Power Chamber. Sheena's in a _lot_ of danger, and I'm afraid it's more than you might realize." 

Tommy looked at both of his friends carefully. Kahva seemed more comfortable with Billy than she would be if he wasn't the real one, and he himself could sense Billy's mind almost exactly as he had been able to before._ How do we know this is the real one though? After everything that's happened today, we have to be sure! _ Perhaps Kahva could sense Tommy's doubts, or maybe it was to reassure herself, for at that very moment while no one was around to see them, Kahva clutched Billy's hand tightly and swiftly shifted all of them to the Power Chamber. _He's real, this one's real, we've got our Billy back now, thank goodness! Now we just have to find Sheena... _ "Let's get to work, guys," he nodded briefly, glancing down to the Silver Crystal in his hands. Tanya had given it to him for safekeeping, and he couldn't miss the pain in both Billy and Kahva's eyes at the sight of it in the Red Ranger's possession. "We have a friend to rescue."

* * *

Sheena and Zimmer materialized in a richly appointed room, and he smiled as he hugged her close to him, wiping away the tears that had marred her cheeks. "Are you all right, my Sheena?" 

Sheena stepped away from him slightly with a pained frown, putting her hand to her forehead. "I - I... can't think very well right now Zimmer. My mind's all jumbled up." _ And my heart... How could they have done that to me, all of them? Billy, Kahva... I thought you two loved me. If you really wanted to be together, why couldn't you talk to me about it, why did you have to do this to me? Talking to me still would have hurt, but not as badly as this! How could you do this?_

Zimmer moved closer to her and lovingly put his arms around her, leaning his head gently on her shoulder. Feather-soft, he whispered into her ear, "Let me think for you then, my love. Give everything, all of yourself to me, and let me carry the burden of thought, let me take control." 

Sheena looked at him for a second, the struggle of heart, mind and soul all playing across her face. After a few heart-wrenching seconds where he simply held her, she finally leaned against him, her body sinking into his support. "Yes... you can... Please take control, please... Make the pain go away, please, Zimmer." 

Caressing her arms as only a true love would, Zimmer looked down at his long-anticipated prize with victorious desire. "Welcome home, my beloved," he whispered, planting a light, lover's kiss upon her lips. "Welcome home, at long last." 

**To Be Continued**


	11. Quest For Truth

**Quest For Truth  
by: Cynthia and Kahva**

_**Legal disclaimer:** And all hail the mighty Saban who created the Rangers and enemies and thus gave us the inspiration for this world we made, which as you may have noticed isn't exactly 100 accurate to the actual events of the TV universe. _

**Cynthia's Author's Note:** How the heck long HAVE we been working on this thing? I think close to a year now. ..sorry about all the delays, people, but first: this turned out to be about twice as long as we thought it was going to, and second, every time we turned around something got in the way of the writing, be it lack of time, lack of inspiration, computer error, the vagaries of life...but in the end, we triumphed, and now we present to you...this fanfic. Oh, and for those of you who think we're focusing too much on our original characters, relax. The next few fics belong to the standard Saban's... 

**Kahva's Author's note:** First off, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive during this time, whether or not you realize just how much you've done for us. Cynthia has explained much of what has happened during the writing of this fic does NOT want to relive the day when the whole file disappeared from the disk, nor the month of computer repairs, and a lot has happened. I won't get too long-winded here, but there have been computer problems, writer's block, a fic that took a life of its own, a job in the "real world" that was beginning to ruin my health and state of mind, then getting a new wonderful job in the land of Teletubbies and Mister Rogers. 

Mainly though, for me personally, there has been the lost of my father after an extended illness last summer, two weeks before my birthday, two months before I got my new job, something I know he would have loved to see me get, he knew how much it meant to me. It has taken quite some time for writing to hold any joy for me personally, and I would not have been able to make it through this time without my Sisters, who I love so dearly. Thank you to my Sisters: Cynthia, Liz, Ivy, Kathy, Kelly, Jessie and Grace for helping me through one of the hardest times in my life, something that I don't know how I would have made it through without all of you. Your love gets me through every single day. Thank you to those who knew what was happening, your love and good wishes have meant more to me than you can ever know. And for those who have simply been there with a kind word and a laugh, not knowing what was going on, thank you. Those moments are treasures that I will always cherish. 

And a special thanks for all of his love and support to our newest Sisterhood member, our Brother, Jeremy Ray Logsdon. You have also helped more than you'll ever know. .. and be glad you didn't bet money on an August release, bro. . . you'd have to pay up right about now if you had. :) 

Sheena wandered about Zimmer's home sadly, only half-interested in the fine furnishings which populated every room, the exquisite tapestries and paintings that adorned the walls. Her heart was in far too much pain to appreciate his mostly impeccable tastes._ Why did they do this to me? I gave them my heart and soul, my very life, and this is how they repay me! Somebody tell me why, please! _There was an urge to call upon a higher power for guidance, something Sheena felt she had done before, but she couldn't remember who or what that power was supposed to be. _What do I believe in, who do I believe in? Everything is so mixed up..._

Then soft footfalls sounded behind her, and Sheena knew who she believed in, who she followed, and who she would give her entire being to, if asked. "Zimmer... Please hold me..." 

With a possessive smile, the wizard silently complied. Staring off through a nearby window at the distant stars that marked the Milky Way Galaxy, he chuckled triumphantly to himself. _I hope you did escape my little prison, Cranston... I want you to live out your life with your friends, knowing you will never know the sweetness of Sheena's love ever again._ Then he cast his gaze upward, knowing that those who dwelled in the hereafter could be anywhere and everywhere, and could hear anyone they loved, cared about... or hated. _I've won, Kahva Kilanye... I'VE WON!_

* * *

"Guys, I'm fine, Zimmer didn't really hurt me or anything, honest!" Billy protested as Alpha and Adam scanned him carefully, while Tommy brought Zordon up to date on the day's events at the carnival. "Like Tommy said, we need to get to work, we've got to rescue Sheena!" 

"Not until we're sure you're okay," Adam gently rebuked him, making the Sapphire Ranger stand still for a few moments longer. "Hey look, we're checking you out here in the main chamber, not the infirmary, and that's the only concession we're giving you, okay?" A forced, half-amused snort from Billy answered the Green Ranger, but he offered no more resistance as Adam and Alpha finished up their medical scans. "Okay, you've got a clean bill of health." 

"I could've told you that, and have been trying to tell you that," Billy grumbled. His tone changed immediately to one full of worry as he made fleeting contact with Kahva's eyes before she hurriedly looked away from him. _I wish I could take the past few hours away from her... Heck of a way to spend a birthday... _ "Kahva is the one who needs to be checked over," he finished softly. Both Rangers looked at their older friend, who had been standing just out of the Rangers' cluster; arms folded tightly, her hands and wrists hidden beneath them, hiding the bruises that Rocky had spotted earlier. They all had seen the small purplish spots after arriving back at the Power Chamber before she could hide them though. "My clone... attacked her." _The others don't seem to know exactly what he did, and Kahva needs to be the one to tell them, not me... But if she doesn't tell them, I will. I swear Zimmer Delnas, whoever and whatever you are, you are going to pay dearly for what you've done today! _

"He certainly did _something_ to her," Adam stated, beginning to move towards her. "She's not been this quiet since she first arrived here in our dimension. Wait... how do you know what the clone did - never mind, you will explain that later. I'm going to check Kahva over." It took a bit of convincing from Adam, Alpha, then finally Tommy before Kahva would agree to be scanned. Even during the scan, she tried to hide the bruises without being obvious, but couldn't. When Jason asked her what the clone had done, she retreated further into herself, not saying a single word to anyone. Wordless nods or shakes of her head as Adam and Alpha asked her questions were the only responses anyone could extract from her. 

_What did that clone do to her? _Tommy asked himself over and over again, examining her with a critical eye. Little things were catching his attention now, such as her shirt, pulled out instead of tucked in, and the bottom two buttons were unfastened. Dirt and grass stains covered her shirt and jeans, and her shoes were scuffed up, as if she'd taken a bad fall... or had been in a struggle. _You should have noticed these things at the carnival, Tommy! You saw her dirty face, how scared she was, but you should have noticed these other clues there, not here! How slow can you be! You should have seen this all before! You should have seen it ALL!_ "What did he do to her?" he muttered under his breath, not intending for anyone to hear him. 

A soft step sounded behind him as his girlfriend came up behind him. "She's safe now, Tommy," Kat slipped her arms about his waist reassuringly. "And so is Billy. As for Sheena, we will find her, and then we'll all be together again, so quit blaming yourself, because I know that's exactly what you are doing right now." Moving to his side, but keeping an arm about his waist, the Australian beauty smiled a little. "Don't try to deny it, I know you too well, Tommy Oliver." 

Tommy let out a small, quiet sigh of admittance, gently hugging his girlfriend. "Yes I am... because I should've taken Kahva more seriously to start out with today. Maybe it would've kept Sheena from leaving with Zimmer, maybe it wouldn't have, but I'm sure that at least whatever that clone of Billy did to Kahva wouldn't have happened. We could have prevented it." Adam and Alpha were treating Kahva's bruises at that point, and it was all the Red Zeo Ranger could do not to growl with anger as her short sleeves were pushed up, revealing even more small bruises, and now minor scrapes and a few tiny scratches. _She'll be fine in a couple of days, the bruises will go away in a week or so, she's safe here. Minor injuries, all very minor. Any of us could've gotten them from falling in a game of basketball, they're all very minor... But what the heck did that clone do to her? What did he say to Sheena to prejudice her so against us? What has happened here! "I_ could have prevented it. Why didn't I see this all before? Why didn't I listen to her earlier!" Tommy hissed at himself under his breath, jaw tightly clenched. "I know I tend to be forgetful at times, but I would've thought that I'm not this _dense_!" 

A gentle nudge and a worried look from Kat made him realize he was literally shaking with rage, and it took several slow, deep breaths before he could calm himself enough to take charge of the situation. "Okay team, our leader has been kidnapped, though she seems to think that she's been driven away from us, by us, that we have betrayed her somehow. We've got to figure out what has happened here today, and where this Zimmer Delnas could have possibly taken her, so we can find her, and make her see the truth." Tommy wanted to ask Kahva to recount her day's experiences first, but she wasn't looking anyone in the eye. _I won't put you through all that again, not just yet. But I'm going to have to at some point, I'm so sorry... _"Billy? Everything that happened today seems to have started in the Hall of Mirrors, tell us what happened to you starting from when you, Sheena and Kahva first went in there." 

"Actually," Billy started, "from the way Zimmer gloated over me, it sounds like this may have started from the point where he first met Sheena a year ago. Today was just the climax." The Sapphire Ranger then launched into a careful account of what had happened to him, and what he had seen. He almost told the others exactly what his clone had done to Kahva, and what he'd felt the clone would have done to Kahva if not for Zimmer's summons, but thought better of it. _ I heard that summons myself through my clone, and he didn't want to leave Kahva right then, he wanted keep going... _The older girl was listening intently to him, he knew, but she still wouldn't look any of them directly in the eye. _Or she can't just yet. I'll give her a little more time to tell everyone what my clone did on her own, but if she can't, or won't tell, I will. The truth of his assault on her can't be kept silent._ A few minutes later and Billy had finished his side of the story. "I don't know anything else that Zimmer Delnas was doing today, I wish I did," he sighed. 

_Why haven't we heard of this guy Zimmer Delnas before as a potential threat, why was he after Sheena? Why did he do all of this to us, wouldn't it have been simpler for him to just grab Sheena? Why the big elaborate show, what are we missing here? _ Jason shook his head in disbelief as at Tommy's request, Billy detailed his imprisonment, and then the wizard's silencing of him before creating his magical clone. "You couldn't even _talk_ in there? Oh man..." 

"Not at all," Billy replied. "I don't know what he did to me, but every time I tried to say something to him, I couldn't... Wait a minute," he stopped himself, thinking back through the day's events. "Whenever Delnas, Zimmer, whatever his name really is, wasn't in that place with me, I _could_ talk. I don't think I imagined myself yelling at my clone when he was with you guys, or calling out to Sheena..." His voice trailed off painfully then, as the memory of Sheena teleporting away with Zimmer replayed vividly in his mind. It was all he could do not to cry when both Kat and Tanya hugged him, trying to comfort him. _Sheena, why? What hold does he have on you? I love you, please believe that, wherever you are, please believe that!_

"Then whatever he did to you only worked when he was near you?" Tommy asked gently, a faint trace of eagerness in his voice. _ Then maybe, just maybe... _ At Billy's nod, Tommy turned to face Zordon. "Could that mean Zimmer isn't as strong a wizard as Vile, Zedd or Rita?" he asked hopefully. "If so, then maybe if he's put a spell on Sheena, we can break it without too much trouble?" The long silence from their mentor quashed all of Tommy's hopes more utterly than any flat negative answer ever could. 

Finally Zordon sighed and replied, EVEN THOUGH THAT IS POSSIBLE, I AM AFRAID WE CANNOT HOPE FOR THAT, RANGERS. THIS ZIMMER DELNAS APPEARS TO BE A VERY POWERFUL WIZARD, IF HE IS MAGICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING THAT TRANSPIRED TODAY. IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF POWER TO CREATE A POCKET DIMENSION TO HOLD SOMEONE PRISONER IN, MAGICALLY TAKE THAT PRISONER'S VOICE AWAY, AND CREATE A PERFECT CLONE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THE ONLY CLONE LIKE THIS YOU HAVE EVER FACED BEFORE RANGERS, WAS THE CLONE OF BILLY THAT RITA AND ZEDD MADE FROM A STATUE. ACCORDING TO BILLY'S ACCOUNT, THE CLONE YOU SAW TODAY WAS CREATED FROM ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. ALSO, DO NOT FORGET THAT ZEDD AND RITA'S DARK DIMENSIONS WERE CREATED LONG AGO - 

"But _they_ are permanent, aren't they?" Rocky interrupted, not wanting to believe that the Rangers might be facing someone stronger than the wizards they had fought before. "How powerful can this guy be, if his collapsed once he left with Sheena?" 

YES ROCKY, RITA AND ZEDD'S DARK DIMENSIONS _ARE_ PERMANENT, Zordon continued. BUT WHEN THEY WERE CREATED, NEITHER ZEDD OR RITA WERE HAVING TO CAST OTHER SPELLS AT THE SAME TIME. THE SAME THING GOES FOR THE DARK DIMENSIONS MASTER VILE HAS CREATED OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS. IF ANY OF THEM WERE HAVING TO CAST OTHER SPELLS AT THE SAME TIME THEY WERE CREATING A POCKET DIMENSION, ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SPELLS WOULD HAVE FALLEN APART, IF NOT BOTH SPELLS. Zordon's expression turned troubled then, his voice growing very grave. DO NOT FORGET THAT WHEN THE CLONE OF BILLY WAS MADE FROM THE STATUE, ZEDD AND RITA WERE WORKING TOGETHER. IF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TODAY WAS CREATED OR CAUSED BY THIS ZIMMER DELNAS' MAGIC ALONE, THEN HE IS AT LEAST AS POWERFUL AS THE TWO OF THEM PUT TOGETHER. HE MAY EVEN BE AS POWERFUL AS MASTER VILE, IF NOT MORE SO. Zordon gazed at his young charges sadly, wishing he could give them some good news. ZIMMER DELNAS WILL NOT BE EASILY DEFEATED, I AM AFRAID. 

_I won't give up, there has to be some way to get my wife back from that slime! _ Billy took a deep breath, then strode over to the scanning consoles. "Then the first thing we have to nail down is just what kind of power this guy has; if he was using all magic, or some other kind of power - or even if he was using someone else's power." 

"Whoa, wait a minute," Adam interrupted. "You don't think he could have been working with Vile or Mondo or someone else, do you?" 

"I don't know, Adam... That's what we have to find out," the Sapphire Ranger answered without looking up from the scanning controls. "We have to know exactly who we are dealing with before we can save Sheena." The next several minutes went by with a maddening silence broken only by the soft beeps and chirps of the computers in the main chamber. No one could bring themselves to voice their shared fear: Zimmer Delnas was more powerful than any wizard they had ever faced, and he had their friend and leader at his mercy. Unable to stand it any longer, Tommy teleported out abruptly, without a single word to anyone. Only the sensors picking him up walking about the park, conducting his own search in the area they had seen Sheena and Zimmer come from kept the others from immediately bringing him back. The fact that no Cogs or any other threat was showing up on those same sensor sweeps was the only thing that kept them all from teleporting out to where he was. "Find something we can use, Tommy..." Billy whispered hopefully to the viewing screen, keeping anxious hands on the teleportation controls if any danger should appear before his friend. He had lost his wife that day, he was _not_ going to lose anyone else! "Please find something that will bring my wife back," he breathed softly, watching Tommy go deeper and deeper into the forest. 

"Please come back to me Tommy," Kat whispered, moving to stand beside Billy, watching her love intently. If anything dared to come within a mile of him that might hurt him, she fully intended to teleport out and rip the threat apart with her bare hands. "What's he doing?" she asked Billy as Tommy suddenly knelt down, picking at something in the grass. 

"I don't know - wait, he's coming back." A flash of red, first on the viewing screen, then in the main chamber a half-second later signaled Tommy's return. Before anyone could ask him what, if anything he'd found, Tommy pressed something into Billy's hands. 

"That's all I could find... They're all broken, three of them had been lit..." Tommy paused for a moment, then finished quietly, "They were all in a circle, at the cardinal points... Sheena must have been casting her circle so she could think, but something stopped her. The fourth candle was crushed and unlit, as if it had been stepped on. I'm willing to bet Zimmer interrupted her, he stepped on the candle and stopped her, maybe he even broke the others. Though I can't imagine Sheena letting him do that. I'm sorry Billy. I wish I could have found something more... hopeful." Tommy sighed deeply, moving to take Kat into his arms. "If only she'd been able to cast her circle... She's always said it helps her, that it shelters her from evil and lies..." he muttered softly, hugging Kat close to him. 

Billy nodded in wordless thanks, clutching the broken candles tightly in his hands, refusing to let the tears that threatened to spill out of his eyes fall. _ Sheena... What did he do to you? I love you, please believe that, please! Wherever you are, please know deep within your heart that I truly love you, and always will! Oh Sheena..._

After several more tense minutes of seemingly endless scanning, Zordon finally broke the uneasy silence for them all. OUR SCANS SHOW THAT THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF POSSIBLY MAGICAL ENERGY FLOWING AROUND THE CARNIVAL AND THE WOODS WHILE ALL OF YOU WERE THERE TODAY, THOUGH NOT IN SUCH CONCENTRATED AMOUNTS THAT IT WOULD HAVE SET OFF OUR ALARMS. SOME OF IT WAS CENTERED AROUND WHERE YOU WERE CAPTURED, BILLY. THAT SMALL POOL OF ENERGY WAS CONNECTED TO SOMETHING MOBILE OUTSIDE, MOST LIKELY YOUR EVIL CLONE. THE REST OF THE ENERGY SEEMS TO BE EVEN MORE MINOR, JUST THIN THREADS THAT SEEM TO HAVE FLOATED ALL AROUND THE CARNIVAL AND EVEN INTO THE WOODS. WHATEVER ZIMMER HAS DONE, HE HAS - 

"Wait a minute," Kahva softly broke in, speaking for the first time since they had all returned to the Power Chamber. The sudden sound of her quiet voice made nearly all of the Rangers jump with startlement. "Zordon, did you just say _threads_ of energy?" 

YES KAHVA, WHY DO YOU ASK? Instead of answering him however, Kahva moved to Alpha's side at the sensor controls, asking him to overlay a visual representation of the energy threads over surprisingly limited surveillance video of the carnival. KAHVA? Zordon asked again as the threads were now shown floating through the park as the young people had been enjoying themselves earlier in the day. At Kahva's urging, Alpha skipped forward in the records, showing the moments before Sheena, Billy and Kahva had reached the Funhouse. Billy gasped and Tommy uttered a low growl as the combined readings showed where the threads had fallen. THE THREADS SEEM TO BE WRAPPING AROUND SHEENA, RANGERS. BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THIS SCENE TOOK PLACE, IT SEEMS LIKELY THE OTHER THREADS THAT FLOATED AROUND THE CARNIVAL AND THE WOODS WERE ALSO DIRECTED AT THE SILVER RANGER. KAHVA? IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO COMPARE THE RECORDS THIS WAY, BUT WHY DID YOU ASK ALPHA TO COMBINE THE SENSOR LOGS LIKE THIS? WHAT MADE YOU - 

"It's pure fascination... Zimmer's got her bound up in a fascination trance, that _has_ to be it," she whispered breathlessly, interrupting the great mentor. Looking up at him apologetically, she explained, "It was the only possible thing that was starting to make any kind of sense, but I had to be sure first, though." 

"Wait a minute here... a 'fascination trance'? What is that supposed to be?" Billy broke in, a trace of disbelief coloring his tone. He had expected some kind of explanation of what Zimmer had done to come from Zordon, or maybe from Ninjor, if they were to call on him... but not from Kahva. 

If his doubt bothered her, Kahva gave no sign of it, her realization bringing its own excitement and confidence. "A fascination trance is a spell that is woven very carefully, thread by thread, forming a 'net' around the victim, for lack of a better term. With each thread, the victim's responses are dulled ever so slightly, and gradually their perceptions are not are sharp as they normally would or should be. They can't tell that they are in any danger at all, and in latter stages of the spell, even scoff at any suggestion of the notion. As the 'net' gets larger, grows, then tightens around the victim, they are unable to disbelieve anything that the caster tells them," she explained quickly. 

"In other words, Zimmer could tell her the sky is polka-dotted and she'd believe him?" Tommy asked in a worried, but skeptical tone. _ There I go again, doubting her when what she's saying feels right and true. Why do I doubt her, why can't I wholeheartedly believe her? We've heard and seen strange things from Vile, Zedd and Rita before, so why can't I believe Kahva in this strangeness now? I know I don't want to believe anything's really and truly so wrong, but... _ Tommy shivered suddenly as he found the answer within. _ We can't believe her... We've lost the ability to believe her somehow, at least the ability to trust in what she's saying that we used to have. Are we all enspelled? Dear God, if he's really done that, if Zimmer can pull off this kind of magic, what are we going to do to stop him? How do we stop him... Can we stop him?_

"Basically yes," Kahva replied, deliberately ignoring Tommy's doubting tone and beginning to pace a little. "The base thread takes no real magical preparation at all to cast, just physical contact, and the skill and desire to do it. With constant physical contact, a fascination trance can be completed in two to three weeks, from what I know about it." 

"Kahva... How do you know all this?" Jason asked lightly, not doubting her in the least. What Kahva was saying was making a kind of sense of sorts; it did seem to fit the facts as they knew them. _ It's the only answer we've got to work with. Why haven't we heard about Zimmer before? Why!_

"Just because I believe in God, not Sheena's Goddess Isis, doesn't mean that I haven't read about Sheena's religion, or magic and spells and other stuff!" Kahva snapped back. Their earlier doubting of her still hurt very deeply. Now Tommy's unconvinced tone, with Jason's question, though not a doubting one, had brought the hurt back full force. At the Gold Ranger's alarmed reaction, Kahva immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump on you like that Jason. You are right to ask how I know." Kahva took a deep breath to settle her nerves, then continued, "I read a lot, and there are very few limits I've placed on what I will read. Sheena always says it's one of the reasons I 'speak Billy' so well, I'm very well read," she replied, forcing a dry, humorless laugh. "Getting back to the point, Zimmer obviously hasn't had constant physical contact with Sheena, so he's had to do this from a distance, it's the only way left to him. Otherwise, someone would've noticed what was going on long before now and could've gotten Sheena to use her Silver Flame, or cast her circle to try and break it. Zimmer wouldn't want to risk that... Based on what Zimmer boasted to Billy, and from what Sheena has told me about Master Madas, he may would have sensed a base thread for a fascination trance, so Zimmer most likely cast it just before she left Eltar. 

"She did say that someone wished her well and safe journey when she got back to Ladiska, but she couldn't remember who, that it was probably a Power Ranger fan. She did remember he had cold hands, though," Adam recalled. "Zimmer, maybe? I don't remember if she ever said a name." 

Kahva nodded her head eagerly, convinced she was right far beyond a shadow of a doubt now. "That _has_ to be when he did it. If he has a scrying crystal, and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't, then he could just tell it to find her and show her to him. After the first thread, the base, is cast, all he needs is line of sight to continue weaving the 'net'." 

Billy nodded a little, a memory flashing before his eyes. "I think he does have one. At least, I saw him with a crystal, one not much bigger than mine or Sheena's." Billy moved closer to Kahva, there was still something that didn't make sense to him. "But why come here, Kahva? Why not finish the 'net' as you call it, from a distance, and when it was finished, simply command her to come to him?" 

Kahva winced ever so slightly in seeming pain before she answered the Sapphire Ranger. "Because... because there must be two points of physical contact for a fascination trance to work. The beginning thread, and the ending thread." Kahva began to pace more rapidly now, her steps agitated. "At the end of a fascination trance, in the last day or two, there _has_ to be physical contact, to prepare for the final thread. The caster has to be absolutely sure that the 'net' is tight before the last physical contact that casts the final thread. Casting the final thread takes a lot out of the caster, they'll be out of it for a few days." 

"Could we try to rescue Sheena then, Kahva?" Tanya asked gently. The more Kahva had explained about the trance, the more she had been able to push her own doubts about what the older girl was telling them aside. "If he's not up to full strength, wouldn't we have better odds of rescuing her then? We could worry about breaking the spell on her later... right?" 

A sad shake of her head was the answer. "I wish. Let me finish, please," Kahva begged. "You all have to understand the trance if we're going to have a snowball's chance in Hades of saving Sheena." The young woman took a deep breath, gathering her wits and nerve about her like a shield. _Billy is going to absolutely hate me for this..._ "If the 'net' isn't secure, there's the chance the victim may be able to break free, no matter how unlikely that slim chance is. Zimmer can't take any chances, however, with Sheena. He can't risk Sheena breaking free of the fascination trance at a later time, not if he wants to keep her with him, as he seems to want to do. I think... or rather _hope_, based on what's happened today, that he's had to speed up his timetable. And I think I know why." Kahva indicated the Red Ranger then. "Tommy found Sheena's candles in the woods, broken, three had been lit. We know that when Sheena goes off to be alone, she's going to find a place to cast her circle and center herself. Zimmer may not have known what she was doing exactly, but he may have felt a barrier beginning to form between him and her. If Sheena had completed it, I don't think he could've crossed the circle." 

Tommy nodded, "Sheena told us after a fight she had with Mondo shortly after she joined us that she didn't think he could cross it. That's how it appeared to her, anyway. So if Mondo couldn't cross it, and let's say Zimmer couldn't either... Maybe, just maybe, the circle might have broken the fascination trance, or weakened it?" he guessed. 

"That's my guess," Kahva agreed, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. "Look, maybe Zimmer hadn't even planned on taking a day or two to get Sheena used to him being around before kidnapping her, maybe he had, but whatever his plan, the point is moot right now. Sheena's had the strength of will to try and cast her circle once, who's to say she won't try again? She always casts it when she's troubled. As far as she's concerned, she's been betrayed by her team, her friends... and her husband. I know Sheena, she _will_ try to cast her circle again, unless Zimmer has her mind clouded up enough that she can't think to do it. Either way, he's not got the day or two he may have planned on to set up the final contact." 

Billy shivered, rubbing away at the goosebumps springing up on his arms._ I'm not sure what's scaring me more, what Kahva's telling us, or the way she's acting._ Billy had found himself studying the girl's movements, watching as her pacing had grown agitated, nearly frantic and panicked, but still somehow keeping herself under a steely control, being as clear as possible, as if to make sure they all understood the importance of her words. _ Why do I feel like my world is about to end? _he wondered as the older girl continued her explanation-theory. 

"So I'm willing to bet that he's casting the last threads as fast as he can, so he can make the final contact and close the 'net' on her before she might possibly get the urge to cast her circle again... for once the final thread is woven, the fascination trance can never be broken. She'll be his forever. But with the last threads being so hurriedly woven, that part of the net won't be as strong," Kahva finished up in a rush. "It _might_ be just enough for us to break it somehow. But we've got to do it before he... makes the final physical contact and casts the last thread." Kahva's voice had fallen eerily soft then, and her store of self-confidence and courage that had helped her to talk in front of all of them so empassionedly seemed to flee her abruptly. 

It was Billy who finally pulled up the courage to ask the question that was left. "Kahva, what aren't you telling us? What do you not want to tell me?" Billy placed a hand on either of the brunette's shoulders, determined to have his answer. "She's my wife, tell me, please," he begged softly. 

_He is going to hate me forever..._ "B-Billy, the final contact has to be a... personal one. The closest way you can ever touch another living, loving being. At that point, she'll be his forever, mind, body, soul, heart... we'll never get her back. Sheena will never know that it's a spell, she'll think that it's all been her decision to make." Avoiding his gaze, she finished quietly. "We have to show her that it's all lies and illusions somehow, before that happens. We have to show her the truth, get her to see it for herself... Or we'll never get her back, ever." Kahva didn't, and couldn't look at Billy's face to see his reaction to her revelation, the not-quite bruising grip he had on her shoulders screamed out his understanding all too clearly. 

"Kahva, you had better tell me you're joking," Billy growled softly. "I'll believe that he can cast threads of some wild magic on my wife, make her not believe any of us, only him... But I'll never believe that she'd go _that_ far with him willingly!" At her silence, Billy's demand changed to an angry plea. "Tell me you're making a very bad joke! Please!" Kahva shook her head sadly, which only seemed to make Billy angrier. He released her finally, muttering dire threats under his breath at Zimmer, stalking over to the scanners red-faced, fists tightly clenched. At the light touch of her concerned hand upon his shoulder, his rage exploded. "Don't touch me!" he snapped, his anger flying out at the bearer of bad news. 

The sight of Kahva's pale face, the trembling of her shoulders silenced the Sapphire Ranger immediately. The fear building in her eyes of him, one she considered near-brother and friend shamed him as she somehow found the strength to talk to him calmly, gently. "Billy, she's your wife, and she's my soul-sister. We have to find a way to make her see that Zimmer's fed her all lies and illusions somehow. We have to do that." Her voice cracking at last, she turned away from him then. "Zimmer is not going to get away with this," she promised softly. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you," Billy apologized gently, reaching out a remorseful hand to her. "Zimmer is the one who did this, not you. You're just the one who had to tell me, I'm sorry, Kahva. Please forgive me?" he begged softly. After what seemed like an eternity, Kahva turned back to him, accepting his hand, then gentle hug of apology with a faint, but forced smile. 

KAHVA, YOU SAY THAT THE FASCINATION TRANCE IS WOVEN OF LIES AND ILLUSIONS? Zordon gently broke in at that point, trying to break the tension filling the main chamber. _ WHY DO I NOT KNOW OF THIS ZIMMER DELNAS? SURELY I WOULD HAVE CROSSED PATHS WITH A WIZARD OF HIS STRENGTH BEFORE. THERE HAVE BEEN NO TRUE WIZARDS ON ELTAR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. WHAT INFORMATION ARE WE MISSING HERE? WHY IS HE SO INTERESTED IN SHEENA?_

"Yes, the caster wants the will of the victim to be theirs for all time," came the nearly whispered, slightly shaky reply. Billy's outburst had frightened Kahva badly, though she was fighting herself not to show to the others just how seriously it had scared her. Billy's face twisted in pain at her answer, shamed further of the way he'd reacted to her bad news. 

Their mentor fell silent and thoughtful for a few agonizingly long moments, then stated carefully, THERE _MAY_ BE ONE WAY TO BREAK IT THEN, RANGERS. IT IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE ANSWER I CAN THINK OF, AT LEAST. THERE IS A CRYSTAL, THE CRYSTAL OF TRUTH, THAT IS SAID TO BE ABLE TO SHOW WHOEVER LOOKS INTO IT THE TRUTH THEY ARE BLIND TO. BUT I MUST WARN YOU ALL... THERE IS THE CHANCE THE CRYSTAL DOES NOT EVEN EXIST ANYMORE. THE FORCES OF EVIL HAVE ALWAYS HUNTED RUTHLESSLY FOR IT, AND IT MAY VERY WELL HAVE BEEN STOLEN LONG AGO. NO ONE HAS HEARD ANYTHING DEFINITE ABOUT THE CRYSTAL FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. BUT IF MAGICAL LIES AND ILLUSIONS ARE THE TOOLS OF OUR NEW FOE, THEN THE CRYSTAL IS OUR ONLY HOPE, I FEAR. I HAVE NOT SEEN A WIZARD WITH THE APPARENT STRENGTH AND SKILL OF THIS ZIMMER DELNAS IN MANY MILLENNIA. 

The Rangers glanced at each other a bit nervously, then up at Zordon. His voice had grown soft and extremely worried, a tone they had rarely heard from their mentor. Tommy found himself remembering the last time Zordon had sounded this worried: when Sheena had been under Mondo's evil hold, serving him as his ultimate warrior. _ Now this Zimmer wants to control her, he already has a hold over her. What happens if we're too late, and if he orders her to attack? If Kahva's right, and Zimmer casts that last thread, we won't be able to break his hold on her... I'll have to destroy my own cousin... NO! I won't think like that! _ The terrible dread and urgency tightly gripped all their hearts, as each of them fought down the fear of not knowing what to do to save their leader and friend, but knowing they had to do something, and fast. Billy was the first person to speak, forcing himself not to think of the horrible consequences of what Kahva had just told him, of all the myriad of things Zimmer could be doing to Sheena right now. The Sapphire Ranger's fists balled up tightly in steely determination as he spoke. 

"The Crystal of Truth is our goal, then. How do we get it, Zordon? How do we save my wife?"

* * *

Zimmer stroked Sheena's long hair delicately, glad she was leaning against him and couldn't see the wicked delight in his eyes. It wouldn't be too long before she was his completely and forever, and not even those silly Rangers would be able to stop his plans. _As if they could even find me. But they're too busy weeping and wailing over their loss of their leader, and trying to figure out what I've done. Ha! By the time they do figure it all out, IF they ever do, there won't be anything they can do to stop me... because I'll have my long-sought bride at last!_

"Zimmer." The cold, evil wizard looked down into his prize's tired eyes and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face almost absently. "T... this is a beautiful home you have here." She seemed to be groping for words to say, out of politeness and a desperate need to talk to someone who hadn't betrayed her more than anything else. 

"Thank you," he smiled softly and tenderly at her. "My family has lived on and ruled over this planet for an extremely long time, and the people here love us," he lied smoothly. They'll love you too." 

One eyebrow raised, as her mind caught on a word he'd spoken. "Ruled?" 

He nodded. "Yes, I am a king here," he smiled briefly. "And before you ask why I didn't tell you before... Sheena, I wanted us to become friends without you knowing anything about who I really am. Also, I don't consider being king all that important. It's just a job I have," he shrugged, hiding his pleasure at her enspelled attention, "an ordinary job that has been passed down in my family for many generations. I much prefer wandering around the universe and meeting beautiful maidens such as yourself, though you are truly the fairest of them all, my dearest one." 

Sheena blushed deeply at the compliment, shaking her head. "I'm certain you've seen much better looking women than I in the past, and I'm not a maiden. I'm a married woman... at least, I was..." Darkness filled her eyes as she remembered the pain of her betrayal, of the many treacheries bestowed upon her by those she had called friend and beloved. The darkness was followed by tears, until Zimmer slowly wiped them away. 

"Please don't think about that," he whispered to her, taking her hand. "Come, let me show you my palace. It's a magnificent place, and I'm certain you'll love it. Don't think about your past anymore, it's over with, Sheena. Think about your future, _our future_, together forever." 

To someone gifted with the ability to see magic, they would have seen several threads of magic extending from Zimmer, slowly wrapping themselves securely around Sheena, interwoven, locked together firmly about their prey. As they settled into place, the enspelled Ranger's shoulders fell just the tiniest bit, but it was enough for the wizard to know he had won again. "Yes, I want to see this palace of yours, Zimmer." Her voice sounded totally normal, not touched by magic in the slightest bit, but around her there was one of the tightest webs of magic in existence, continuously bending her mind and will to the thin man's dark desires. "If I'm going to stay here, I want to learn everything about it." 

The wizard's lips thinned briefly as he smiled. "Come, then," he invited her, gesturing to the hallway they stood in. He had been gazing out over his royal city while Sheena had been coming to the decision she truly believed was her own. His personal bodyguards, constant companions except when he ordered them otherwise, fell into place behind the couple. "This is the royal palace; my home, and now yours as well, my lady." 

"Sheena," she said firmly, touching his hand with hers. "I've told you that before, Zimmer. Just Sheena. We're friends, best friends, you don't have to treat me so formally. You've helped me more than anyone else ever has, and stuck by me no matter what. Call me by my name. Please." 

He repeated it softly, barely holding back the dark pleasure that wanted so badly to flood into his voice. "Very well," he laughed gently, taking her hand. "It shall be Sheena then, always Sheena, my dearest one." Zimmer cast a veiled dark look at his bodyguards, a warning glare they knew all too well. "This is now your home as well, Sheena, and the servants here will treat you as they do me, or better." _Or else!_ he sent to them harshly. 

The two bodyguards exchanged silent glances behind the couple as they wandered through the hallways. In all their years of service, never before had they seen their master so happy, or so nervous at the same time. Automatically knowing better than to dare speak a single word, they remained silent, hoping that whatever was making him nervous passed most swiftly. 

Zimmer was not one who was known for his even temper.

* * *

Sheena's mind and few independent thoughts had almost completely shut down as Zimmer guided her through the palace, showing her sites of exquisite, if unusual, beauty and incredible wonder such as she had never thought existed before. As the colors, smells and sounds surrounded her, carrying her along as surely as Zimmer himself, the only thing she could solidly think about was how wonderful his palace was, and how supportive and friendly her companion was. _I would never have imagined he was a king here..._ Since the only things she could think about were those which didn't hurt her, which all that was left of those painless thoughts was Zimmer, she continued to think solely of him, and of his wonderful care and kindness. He was her trusted friend from another world... _No, it is my world now,_ she corrected herself automatically. _I'm staying here. I don't have anything to go back to. My husband has betrayed me with my best friend, my soul-sister!_ Willing herself not to cry, Sheena dove into the comfort of the one thought that eased her pain. _ Zimmer is my best friend, my only true friend_, the words whispered in her mind over and over. _He's the only one who hasn't ever hurt me, she remembered. He'll never hurt me... always be beside me, always love me..._

She glanced over to him as they wandered through a wide, fragrant garden, and smiled softly. "You have such a lovely home, Zimmer," she said quietly. He seemed to blush a trifle as he touched her hand tenderly in silent thanks. The blush seemed to travel to her own cheeks at the contact, and she turned her attention to the exotic flowers and extravagant bushes all around them. Tears filled her eyes suddenly at the sight of a rosebush. _ White roses... No... White roses..._

"Sheena? My sweet Sheena, what's wrong, you're crying!" 

_Zimmer sounds so concerned over me, how can I ever doubt his dedication to me? He truly is the only one who really ever cared... loved... loves me. _ She slowly wiped her tears away, accepting the silken handkerchief he offered her. "Those roses," she whispered. "I carried roses like that at my weddings. White roses... my favorite flowers. I'm sorry, I'm being silly, they're just flowers." 

Her eyes widened suddenly as he reached out and plucked one from the bush, twining it into her hair so that the sweet fragrance easily reached her nose, encircling her with its wonderful scent. "Forget those painful, cold memories of that deceitful fool and all those traitors you've left behind, my dear one," he murmured. "I give you this rose, my lovely Sheena, in token of all I hope we shall have together, for all eternity, if you will only accept my love." _And obey my every command, as you so blindly do right now!_

She touched the petals of it gently, smiling and blushing at his attentions to her. "Thank you," she whispered, the memories of all she had gone through before leaving Earth with her wonderful true friend fading away at this reminder of his caring for her. Slowly, she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it with just the tiniest bit of care and compassion. "Thank you for everything, Zimmer." 

As they walked through the garden, hand in hand and followed in solemn silence by the ubiquitous bodyguards, Sheena did not notice the rose bush Zimmer had taken the flower from wilting, then crumbling silently into dust from the wizard's lethal touch.

* * *

TO FIND THE CRYSTAL OF TRUTH REQUIRES GREAT COURAGE AND STRENGTH, RANGERS, Zordon told them. UNLESS IT HAS BEEN SECRETLY STOLEN, AND ITS GUARDIAN HAS BEEN VANQUISHED, THE CRYSTAL IS SUPPOSED TO BE KEPT ON A PLANET FAR FROM HERE. ANY WHO SEEK TO GAIN IT WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH MANY TRIALS, AS WELL AS ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT ITS GUARDIAN AND KEEPER REQUIRES. 

"Keeper?" Kat looked concerned. "Who is this Keeper?" 

NO ONE KNOWS THEM BY ANY OTHER NAME THAN JUST THE KEEPER OF THE CRYSTAL, their mentor explained. THEY HAVE KEPT WATCH OVER IT AND GUARDED IT FOR NO ONE KNOWS HOW LONG, AND THEIR ENTIRE PLANET IS GEARED TOWARDS TESTING THOSE WHO WOULD CLAIM THE CRYSTAL. 

Rocky frowned deeply. "So other people have tried then? Zordon, how do we know they didn't succeed? What if your fears are true, and someone's stolen it long ago?" 

"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Someone else could have the Crystal and we wouldn't know until we got through the trials, and by that time it could be too late to save Sheena!" 

NO RANGERS, Zordon shook his head. YOU CANNOT START TO THINK THAT WAY, OR YOUR QUEST FOR THE TRUTH THAT SHEENA NEEDS IS DOOMED BEFORE IT BEGINS. WE MUST ALL HAVE FAITH THAT IF THE CRYSTAL _HAD_ LEFT THE POSSESSION OF ITS KEEPER, THEN ALL THE MINIONS OF EVIL, AND DISCIPLES OF THE POWER OF GOOD WOULD KNOW OF IT. Zordon looked at each of them in turn gravely then, wishing he could face the trials to come for them. BE WARNED, MY RANGERS... SHOULD YOU ACHIEVE THE CRYSTAL, YOU MUST BEWARE OF THE DANGER YOU SHALL FACE, FOR THE ENERGIES INVOLVED IN A PROPER, SUCCESSFUL PASSING OF IT FROM THE KEEPER INTO YOUR HANDS WILL BE KNOWN TO ALL BEINGS OF GREAT POWER, WHETHER GOOD OR EVIL. BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED TODAY, I FEAR THAT WILL ALSO INCLUDE ZIMMER. IF HE IS AWARE OF YOUR COMING WITH THE CRYSTAL, HE COULD STEP UP HIS TIMETABLE. STAY ALERT AND EXTREMELY CAREFUL. IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT HE IS THE MOST POWERFUL EVIL WIZARD YOU HAVE EVER BATTLED. RANGERS... GAINING THE CRYSTAL MAY NOT BE ENOUGH, BUT IT IS THE SILVER RANGER'S ONLY CHANCE FOR FREEDOM... OTHER THAN BY HER DEATH. 

Everyone paled a little at that thought, and Billy went beyond pale as his fists clenched. He calmed himself as quickly as he could, invoking the _ki-see_ mental rituals Sheena had taught him. _We're coming, Sheena. Just don't let him touch you, please don't let him touch you. Keep your slimy mitts off her, Zimmer, Delnas, or whatever you want to call yourself. I really don't care. Just don't touch her! Don't you dare lay a hand on my wife! _ He looked up at Zordon again, then back to the others. "We have to go for it," he said softly. I have to go for it, I can't ask the rest of you to take this risk -" 

"As if we'll let you go by yourself?" Tanya snorted, moving to take Billy's hands. "We're _all_ going for this, we are not going to let him keep her! We're a team, and she's our leader and friend, so we're all going. Right, guys?" 

Tommy agreed at once. "It's the only chance we've got to get Sheena back." His eyes flicked around to each of the Rangers, receiving nods of firm assent in return. When he got to Kahva, he took a deep breath, knowing she wasn't going to like what he was about to say._ This isn't something for a non-Ranger to endure. From the sounds of it, we may not make it at all. But we have to try..._

"I'm going with you," the older young woman asserted before he could try to speak. "Sheena is my soul-sister and my best friend, so you are _not_ doing this without me." Her voice invited neither protest nor debate, completely flat with an unshakable determination. "I'm going." 

Every word of protest that Tommy might have attempted died on his lips at the burning look in Kahva's eyes. It was a look he knew well, for it had been mirrored on his own face moments before when he feared Billy might insist no one help him in the quest. He took a deep breath, and nodded in resignation, hoping he wasn't allowing another friend to come to possible harm. "All right," was all he said in answer to her however, as he turned back to face Zordon. "How do we get there and what do we do when we get there?" 

I AM AFRAID NO ONE KNOWS, TOMMY, the Eltarian said quietly, to the chagrin of all the Rangers and Kahva. ALPHA AND I CAN SEND YOU TO THE PLANET WHERE THE KEEPER AND THE CRYSTAL ARE SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT, NO ONE KNOWS. NOT EVEN ME. 

Sighing, Tommy nodded, glancing around at the team. "I'm sure that this is going take a while guys, right now I'd bet on it. I think we should all go home quickly and make some sort of excuse to our parents and anybody else we have to as fast as we can. The sooner we get started on this quest, the better." Tommy then made what sounded like to the others as a strange request: for all of them to be scanned for spells. The scans were quick and efficient, and though the readings for Tommy, Kat, Adam and Tanya were slightly off, Alpha could find no traces of spells upon any of them. When asked for a reason for the scans, all Tommy did was shrug his shoulders and say, "Just taking precautions. Let's go people," he quietly urged. "If Kahva's right, we don't have a lot of time here." 

In various colored streams of light, the Rangers who had families to deal with teleported out, until only Kahva and Billy were left in the Power Chamber with Alpha and Zordon. The young shifter wasn't looking at him, being more intent on studying what looked to be the tips of her fingers, the ceiling, the floor... anything and everything but the Sapphire Ranger. Billy paced briefly, helping Alpha get the coordinates together for the planet where the Crystal was kept, once the anxious little robot had found the correct galaxy. Kahva simply sat there on the main chamber's floor; whatever she was thinking a mystery behind her shuttered eyes. Billy wanted for all the world to put his arms around her shoulders as he normally would, tell her that everything was going to be all right. _Thanks to that evil clone, I can't. And from the way she's acting, I don't think any of the others can do it either, not now. In my case, maybe not ever again. But I've got to try and put things right, I've got to... _

"Kahva?" The brunette jumped a little when Billy softly spoke her name, breaking the tense silence at last. "How are you feeling?" That had seemed to be a fairly safe thing for him to say, he had thought, until he saw the slight hint of fear and shock in her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare..." 

His voice trailed off, not quite sure how to finish the sentence. She just nodded, not looking at him as she spoke. "We have to hurry, before Zimmer can put that... last thread into place." Her voice was tight as she spoke, remembering how he'd reacted when she had told him of it. "We just _have_ to..." 

Billy sighed, leaning against a console and taking several deep breaths, trying with all his might not to think about it too hard. "I know," was all he said, though. "I don't want to think about what could happen if we fail." 

Neither of them said anything else for several minutes, though they both knew they were thinking about what had happened at the carnival, between her and his clone. _ I can't stand this just doing nothing, saying nothing!_Billy moaned silently to himself. _Maybe if I work on something._ Tanya had given the Sapphire Ranger back his communicator soon after their arrival at the Power Chamber, so Billy decided to busy himself with patching it up. Fortunately, the pieces Kahva had found easily snapped back onto it, though they weren't really vital to the device's operation anyway. _Well, that took all of thirty seconds. Maybe I should just dismantle the thing and put it together from scratch!_ he mentally growled. _Go talk to her, for God's sake! Avoiding what happened isn't going to make anything better! _

But even before he'd finished the thought, Kahva got up from the floor and moved almost woodenly down the hallway, heading for her quarters. Billy hesitated for a few seconds, then rushed after her, only to hear her door shut softly before he had even gotten close to it. Sounds floated out into the hallway, telling him that the young woman had gone into the small bathroom attached to her room, no doubt cleaning herself up and changing into clothes more suited for a trek through who knew what. _Too slow, Billy, too slow!_ the young man berated himself. _ Might as well take her lead, though, _he decided, teleporting back to his own house to change as well. 

Standing inside the house he had shared for so short a time with the woman whom he literally shared part of his soul, Billy Cranston, the Sapphire Ranger of Earth, had never felt so lost or lonely. Quietly, he sat down on Sheena's side of the bed, and picked up a picture she always kept on her nightstand. It was a dual frame, with one side holding a picture of the two of them on their wedding day, and the other graced with a photo of the entire Earth Power Ranger family: Alpha, Zordon, Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Kat, Tanya, Kahva, Sheena, and himself. Even Tommy's brother David was in the picture, at Sheena's insistence. He smiled faintly, remembering how Kahva had protested firmly that she wasn't a Ranger or any other kind of superhero or skilled fighter like David, of no blood relation to anyone there, and really shouldn't be in the picture. Sheena had told her bluntly it was a _family_ picture, and her soul-sister was going to be in it if she had to tie her down and sit on her! 

Tears fell onto the picture as Billy stared at it, then slowly touched the wedding picture. His voice was harsh and firm as he spoke. "I will get you back, Sheena. I will free you from that monster. Wherever you are, whatever he's done to you, is doing to you, or is going to do to you, I hope that you remember somehow that I will always love you. That I will love you forever." 

He stretched his mental link to Sheena to the very limit, trying to connect to her mind, only to find she was completely cut off from him. Billy could actually feel the net, now that he knew what to try and break through. But the web of lies and magic Zimmer had spun around his beloved was too tight and strong for him to tear apart. Billy dropped his head, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "I will get you back," he whispered through his hoarse sobs. "I swear by all that's holy, I will get you back!"

* * *

Far from Earth where the Power Rangers and their friends worried, far from where Zimmer gloated and prepared and where Sheena walked in unthinking misery, the Keeper of the Crystal of Truth sat gazing into that which she cared for, a soft and mysterious smile curving on her face. 

"So you have tried your tricks at last, old wizard," she chuckled. "And now those destined come for that which is theirs, prepare themselves for the trials they know nothing of. So it has ever been, so shall it ever be. I can only hope they pass the trials, for the sake of all that is." 

She leaned back into her stone and earthen chair, then smiled again. "Good luck, my young warriors."

* * *

"You don't look as if you feel well, Sheena," Zimmer said carefully, looking at her with concern in his eyes. They had wandered throughout the palace and city for many hours. But now, Sheena looked as if she were ready to collapse right where she was standing. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, putting a hand out to steady herself. "I... I'm all right," she whispered, not wanting to give in to the terrible exhaustion that was threatening to overwhelm her. _I don't want to dream, _she thought._ If I dream... I'll see them again... and..._ She shivered, and Zimmer wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

"You're tired," he whispered softly, turning her so that they were returning to the palace. "You need to rest. You have to sleep." 

Sheena couldn't hear the magic in his voice, but as the words sank into her mind, she could hardly keep her eyes open for another second. "Yes," she whispered weakly. "I think I should rest. Do you have some place where I could lay down for a while?" 

Zimmer only smiled and guided her to a bedroom she couldn't remember seeing on their tour earlier, one decorated in soft shades of red and silver. Situated on a small dais was a wide bed, covered in what looked to be pure silken sheets. Sheena barely noticed the look Zimmer cast around the room quickly as they entered and he guided her over to the bed, so tired and worn out was she, that she wavered badly if left to walk alone. He gently let her sit down, and smiled tenderly as she yawned. 

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized for practically opening her mouth in his face as she yawned, and he simply smiled at her again. "I really am tired, I'm so sorry Zimmer." 

"I can see that," he said as she began to lean back onto the bed, "but you have nothing to be sorry for. You need to rest." He gently pulled the blankets over her, quite literally tucking her in as gently as if she were a baby. "Sleep now, Sheena. You've had a long day. Sleep, and forget your pain. Forget your betrayers." 

He could just barely keep himself from laughing as Sheena slipped deeper and deeper, not just into the ensorcelled sleep he had not really needed to cast on her, but also into the web of magic wrapped tightly around her. _ So far, this has been well worth the waiting! Of course, once she's mine, talking to her will be like talking to my own reflection, since every thought she has will stem from a desire to make me happy. Oh, well. Conversation isn't exactly what I want her for anyway._

Zimmer leaned over her quietly and placed his lips against hers once he was certain she would not awaken. "Sleep well, my lovely Queen," he whispered. "For soon you will be mine... _forever."_

* * *

It was perhaps an hour or so later after they had originally left when the Rangers all returned to the Power Chamber, each outfitted as lightly, but as thoroughly, as they could be, since they had no idea of what they might have to face once they got to the Keeper's world. Billy was hurrying over to Alpha and the teleportation controls as fast as he could after he returned. 

"Is everyone ready?" the Sapphire Ranger asked, all traces of the storm of weeping he had survived gone now. Receiving empathetic nods from all around the room, he glanced up at Zordon. "Let's hope this works." 

GOOD LUCK, RANGERS, Zordon said. BEFORE YOU GO, YOU MUST - Before he could say anything else, Billy was hitting the teleportation controls. The small group shivered away into their usual columns of light, starting to rise out of the Power Chamber, when they suddenly collapsed back down into their solid states, spread about the room like fallen dominoes. 

"What happened!" Jason groaned. "If Mondo's got our teleportation blocked, I'm going to _hurt_ him! Badly!" 

Billy was already checking for just that, rubbing a bruise he had acquired in the fall. "Nothing's being blocked," he reported moments later, confusion in his tone. "I don't get it!" 

"That is because you aren't thinking clearly, nor being polite. But I can forgive that, under these circumstances, William Cranston, Sapphire Power Ranger of Earth, husband of Sheena Devereaux Cranston, Silver Power Ranger of Earth, leader of the Power Rangers of Earth." 

Everyone went stiff at the soft, female voice that floated throughout the Power Chamber, hardly daring to breathe. Kahva frowned slightly. _ Where have I heard that voice before? It seems... familiar, somehow._ Finally, like all of them, she simply listened. 

"Rangers, I am the Keeper of the Crystal of Truth, and though I know the urgency of your quest, there are rules to this that must be followed. Your leader, Zordon, was about to tell you about those rules when you attempted teleportation, William. Still your rage, Sapphire Ranger." Everyone looked to see Billy's mouth was wide open as if he were about to protest against the delay. "First, you must summon allies to defend Earth, should it need to be protected, for I shall choose from _all_ of those who know of your secret to determine who comes upon this quest. Only a few shall be called, and those who are chosen, and do have them, must leave all weapons behind, as well as any transformation tools they do so possess. Only your own wits, strength, intelligence and learned or natural born skills may gain you the right to ask for the Crystal, should it be your destinies to gain it for the freeing of your leader. I, and your quest, await you. Your time is short." 

The voice then faded away, and everyone found themselves staring at each other in shock, then grudging acceptance. "I don't think we have a lot of choices," Tommy said quietly. "All right then... who should we call?" 

"The Aquitian Rangers, and the Treys," Jason responded. "Maybe call in your brother too, Tommy? The Keeper said she would choose from _everyone_ who knows about us, and he certainly does." 

"What about the former Rangers, and Prince Dex, the Masked Rider?" Kat suggested. "Do you think she'd pick any of them?" 

"Don't forget that 'all' the Keeper referred to includes my mother, as well as Ninjor and Master Madas, plus Telvok and Alacor," Billy reminded them. "Not to mention the others back in Sheena and Kahva's old dimension. Where are we supposed to draw the line? The Keeper also said that our time is short." Billy's voice was perfectly calm, but his anxiety was betrayed by his nervous shifting from one foot to the other, and the slight tremble of his hands. Tanya put a gentle hand upon his shoulder, which after a few seconds seemed to help him settle down slightly. 

Rocky shrugged. "Let's just start with getting the ones we can get in contact with easily in here. As for the ones past the Aquitian Rangers and the Treys, I don't think we need to call them in. They've got their own things to be doing, and it would be very suspicious for that many people to suddenly take off so unexpectedly. I don't think she'd pick them anyway." _Not that I wouldn't mind seeing Kim... and the others again myself._

Adam clapped a hand on Rocky's shoulder, smiling a little. "And who says you can only think of food, food, and more food. You're right, Rocko. Hopefully, we'll have all the people we need for the Keeper to choose from once the Aquitian Rangers and the Treys get here." 

"Who knows," Tanya added, "if the Keeper can't find all the ones she needs here in the Power Chamber, she might just pull them in herself. Somehow, I think she has the power to do that. She did keep us from teleporting, after all." Tanya smiled and gave Billy a reassuring hug. "Look at it this way - if she can block teleportation that easily, then maybe the Crystal _is_ still there, and safe. I don't think she'd bother to select people for a quest for the Crystal if it wasn't there anymore. We've still got a chance of saving Sheena." 

"As long as this isn't her idea of a cruel joke," Billy muttered. Finally though, he nodded in agreement, for Tanya's logic was sound, and could not be easily argued with. "Let's get everybody in here, fast. My wife needs us." 

No one noticed Kahva hanging to the side and out of the way as they made preparations to call in their friends from quite literally all over the cosmos. _Please don't let her say I can't go, I have to go! This is all my fault somehow, I should've made the others believe me earlier. If I had, Sheena would be here with us right now, not with this Zimmer character! She'd be away from him, he wouldn't be in position to cast the last thread, and we could be trying to break the fascination trance right now! Or at least convincing Sheena to cast her circle. Please God, don't let the Keeper leave me out, please don't let her leave me out of this. Though she probably will, everyone else is far more qualified for this quest than I am, I'm sure._ After what felt like an eternity, the Aquitian Rangers and the Treys were in the Power Chamber after a mere five minutes, and were quickly brought up to speed on the situation. Tommy slipped out somewhere along the line and came back with his brother David soon after. As everyone was told of Sheena's kidnapping, and the quest and the Keeper's instructions, Kahva silently moved over to Alpha. "Alpha? Can I ask you a question? A couple of them, actually." 

"Ay-yi-yi, Kahva!" Alpha squeaked. "You snuck up on me!" In the next moment the excitable little robot was his normal fretful self. "Ask away, Kahva!" 

"Umm... Alpha, why is there so little video of us at the carnival today? I thought the scanners always tracked us." Kahva bit her lip, hoping that she wasn't somehow breaking any rules, or insulting Alpha or Zordon somehow... and fearful of what the answer might be. 

"Zordon decided long ago that when things are reasonably quiet, the scanners would not listen in on or visually record the Rangers constantly, as a courtesy to them. Zordon doesn't want anyone to feel like he's prying into their private lives, after all. That's the same reason he doesn't constantly record video in the Power Chamber either, or the Command Center before it. Nothing is recorded in the private quarters at all, unless a specific request is made to do so. It would be invasive. But our scanners are always on the lookout for unusual energy readings that could mean trouble." Alpha shrugged his shoulders sadly. "Until today, it's a system that has worked pretty well." 

"It's not your fault or Zordon's that you didn't have the cameras on us all of the time, Alpha. Umm..." she started again nervously. "You - you didn't see much of the clone with me, I guess, then?" Kahva hoped that Alpha couldn't detect the slight hopefulness in her tone. _ I can't deal with the others maybe seeing that at some point, I can't! They'll think I'm weak and stupid... And I am, I should've known better than to believe that was Billy, no matter how much he seemed to be him, I should've been stronger. I should've fought harder, did something different... He was a creation, not a real person, I must have done something to make him target me. It's all my fault, and I can't bear for the others to see just how stupid I really am! They'll never trust me again, they probably don't trust me much now... If they did, they would've believed me sooner._

Alpha's answer was not exactly what she wanted to hear, however. "We might, but right now I don't think we do. Kahva, if we had seen the clone threatening you, we would've brought you back at once! I'm so sorry we didn't, can you ever forgive me?" 

"Alpha, there's nothing to forgive!" Kahva softly exclaimed in surprise. "Nothing that happened today is your fault, nothing at all!" _How can he blame himself? He didn't do a thing wrong, neither he or Zordon did anything wrong! I'm the one who screwed everything up somehow. After this quest, I'm going to pull away from the Rangers more when there's trouble, I'm just getting in the way._ "Alpha, no one is blaming you or Zordon at all, you didn't do anything wrong. I should've tried harder to make the others believe me, that's all." Before the little robot could tell her differently, Kahva rushed out one more question under her breath. "Do you think the Keeper will let me go on the quest?" 

"I don't know, Kahva. The Keepers of the past have always had free rein in their decisions. Whoever she chooses, and how many she chooses... There's no way to know for certain." Alpha watched his master's part-daughter walk away with a silent nod and slight smile of thanks, then turned back to his scans of the day's events at the carnival. _How do I make her feel better? I'm not sure, but I think she's blaming herself for everything. Why didn't the Rangers believe her though, if she was telling them something wasn't right? They've listened to her before... Could that be why Tommy asked for the scans, to make sure they weren't under some kind of spell? My scans don't show any though, so why didn't the others believe her at the carnival? Why did they all seem so skeptical about what Kahva was telling them in here until Zordon spoke up?_ The sound of the Keeper's voice interrupted the thoughts and words of human, humanoid and robot alike as it crept back into the Power Chamber. 

"You have chosen wisely and well, Power Rangers of Earth. Though there are others with equal right to be here, to bring them here at this moment would create alarm and difficulties that would be hard for them to explain." Everyone suddenly felt as if eyes were looking at, through, and in them all at once. "Everyone must lay aside all weapons and transformation tools before the choosing." 

One by one, everyone laid all weapons and morphers into a neat pile in the center of the chamber. Jason called forth his Power staff and added it to the pile, then Billy brought his crystal out from inside his body, carefully laying it in the pile along with Sheena's. David had carried a small pocketknife with him that wouldn't have been of much use as a weapon, but he added it to the pile as well. Kahva was the last to come forward with her quarterstaff, recently repaired from where it had been damaged while they had been dealing with Sheena's dangerous sleepwalking episodes. "Kahva Briton and David Trueheart, you two may take back your weapons, for you two are not Power Rangers. The rules were designed long ago to prevent warriors with magical powers and magical weapons from circumventing the rules of the quest. You two are exempt from the rule of magical weaponry." 

Silence reigned as neither David or Kahva would take back the pocketknife or quarterstaff. "Very well then. You both are noble and brave, and much stronger than you think. Look within yourselves, and you will find the strength you need for not only this quest, but throughout your lives as you meet the challenges of living in the light of right and good. Everyone here needs to do the same, for when magical powers and weapons fail, the heart that is armored in love and good cannot, and shall not be vanquished, not ever. Love is truly the greatest gift, and power, that will ever exist. Without it, no other power can ever hope to work, or stay on the course of good." There was a brief pause, then, "The selection shall begin in one minute. Once complete, the questors will be instructed." 

Silence once again filled the chamber as everyone looked at each other nervously, wondering who would be chosen for the quest. David broke the stillness first. "I don't think I'm going to be chosen. I feel my place is here, until whoever goes gets back. I feel I should stay in the Power Chamber - though I'm not exactly sure why." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled a little. "I guess my Dad is rubbing off on me more and more. I'm sounding about as mysterious as he usually does." 

"That you are," was all that Tommy could say before he vanished from sight. 

"Tommy! What happened to Tommy!" Kat yelled in panic before she too vanished. 

"What is going on!" Adam demanded, trying to stay calm. 

RANGERS, DAVID, TREYS, KAHVA... THE SELECTION HAS BEGUN. PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED, THE KEEPER WILL NOT HARM ANYONE WHO IS CHOSEN. PLEASE REMAIN CALM, came the soothing, deep voice of Zordon. Everyone looked about nervously as they tried to calm themselves from their collective shock. 

"She certainly doesn't waste time. I wonder who's next?" Jason managed to get out before both he and Rocky disappeared. Tanya and Adam followed soon after, vanishing before either could comment on the selections prior to their own. 

Several moments passed by without anyone else being chosen. "No... Don't leave me out of this, please! She's my wife, please don't leave me out of this!" Billy called out to wherever the Keeper might be. "Please!" But he received no answer, and no one else disappeared. "Noooo..." 

"Billy," Kahva softly put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "I think we can trust her to choose who should go... though I want to go just as badly as you. But she's not said she's finished, so don't give up, please." Then Kahva looked up to the ceiling, not knowing if the Keeper could hear her, or would even listen to her, "Please, Keeper... I don't know why you haven't chosen Billy, unless you are trying to decide between him and somebody else maybe, but please let him go. You know Sheena is his wife, you've said so yourself. Sheena is also his life mate and soul mate. Please don't leave him out of this quest, please?" Kahva was afraid she had offended the Keeper somehow after two more agonizingly long minutes passed in painful silence. "I'm sorry Billy, I've made her mad or something, I'm -" 

"Two more have been chosen, two who call the Silver Ranger family, and who truly are family," came the Keeper's voice at last. "My choices have been made." With that, Billy disappeared instantly, leaving Kahva, David, the Treys and the Aquitian Rangers alone in the Power Chamber with Alpha and Zordon. 

"Be careful, David. And be strong on the Quest, Sheena needs all of you." 

"Me? Kahva, what makes you so sure this Keeper has picked me?" David asked her in surprise. He had already started to move over to Alpha to see if there was anything he could do to help the little robot. 

"You heard the Keeper: 'two more have been chosen, who truly are family'. Billy is Sheena's husband, you're her cousin by blood, however distant." 

"But you're her soul-sister though, Kahva. I can't think of anyone who better qualifies as true family than you," David protested. 

"The Keeper will soon show who she has picked, my friends," Trey of Wisdom came to the pair, laying his hands on their shoulders. "We must trust in her choice." 

"Yes, we must trust that she has chosen the ones who can pass the trials and claim the Crystal of Truth," Delphine, the White Aquitian Ranger added. "Though I must admit, and I think I speak for everyone here... We all want to go. Sheena is a fellow warrior of the power, and a dear friend." Everyone nodded in agreement, then fell completely still and quiet as a light seemed to engulf both David and Kahva, then quickly began to shrink to surround only one of them. A second light formed in the ceiling, coalescing into a roughly human form. 

"It is time to join the quest for the Crystal of Truth," came the Keeper's voice from the second light. "For those who are left behind, keep the Earth safe, be vigilant, for I sense King Mondo has detected the energies of those who have left, and you who have arrived. Should he realize the Earth Power Rangers have left the planet, he will attack. If he attacks, he must not be allowed to succeed." Then the second light floated down to David and Kahva, making it difficult to tell just which one of them had been finally picked by the first light. 

"Please find the Crystal so Sheena can be saved," Kahva softly begged David, barely able to make out his form in all the light around them. She felt his hand start to touch hers... then felt nothing at all. 

The last words of the Keeper rang gently throughout the Power Chamber as the lights blinked out as quickly as they had appeared. "The quest begins..."

* * *

Zimmer roamed about his throne room, pacing stiffly, snapping at his servants, growling at his ever-present bodyguards. _Something's not right, I can feel it... But Sheena is here with me where she belongs, and my magic cannot detect the Rangers coming here. Sheena is completely mine... So what is wrong! Arrgh! What is it! _ "Leave me alone! NOW!" he commanded. His bodyguards and servants immediately scurried out of the throne room, all knowing better than to question their lord's orders. The bodyguards locked the massive double doors of the throne room and took their places outside. No one would be allowed to interrupt their master. 

"I need answers... But from who?" Zimmer wondered aloud to the empty room. "Who!" A large ornate wooden candelabra standing by his throne caught his attention then, and since it was getting dark, Zimmer waved a hand to light the many candles it held. He was not in the mood for the electrical lights in the room to turn on just then. "Who?" he muttered to himself under his breath over and over again as he gazed into the flame of the largest candle, centered in the candelabra. Zimmer let his mind drift into the hypnotic dance of the flame, falling into the rhythm and heat, his senses becoming one with the fire as together they grew higher, brighter, hotter... Then he let his mind float out of the flame, becoming one with the mildly stinging smoke that leapt from the flame tip, then curled lazily into the room. "Smoke..." Zimmer muttered softly, entranced now by the fragile, thin, grey path the candle-smoke traced in the air, rising, thinning more and more, until it vanished completely, never to return. "Smoke... That's it! That is who I need." Zimmer smiled a cruel smile, laughed, then quickly teleported himself with his magic back down to Earth, back to the very spot where his evil clone had collapsed into smoke. "There should still be the slightest hint..." Carefully sniffing, following a conjured scent only he could detect, Zimmer slowly rose higher and higher, floating high above the ground until he spotted the last minuscule particles of the magical smoke that had once been his evil clone. "There you are, my servant... what is left of you, anyway. Just barely enough of you left... Come," he commanded the smoke, magically drawing it into a small vial he always kept in his pocket, just in case he needed it for samples from nature - or victims. "You have not _quite_ completed your service to me."

* * *

"Klank! Have you nailed down those energy readings yet? KLANK!" the Machine King bellowed impatiently down the hallways of the SkyBase, as he lumbered with much clanking and groaning of gears and strained metal joints. _ Stupid can of bolts, not answering me when I call on the intercom, now I'm having to go to HIM for my answers! If he doesn't have a good reason for not answering me, I'll turn him into metal filings and put his circuits into a trash compactor! "KLANK!"_

"Hmm? Oh! Your Majesty, I dinna hear you call on the intercom if you tried to summon me," Klank lied as his master burst into the lab. _How am I supposed to get anything done with him yelling at me all the time? I can't work with all of his constant racket! Rita Repulsa is quieter than him!_

"Then turn your intercom up louder! When I call you, I expect you to answer me at once! Do you understand!" 

"Yes, sire," Klank sighed with a tired metallic creak. "How may I help you, sire?" 

That question was greeted with a powerful swipe across the face that propelled Klank all the way across the lab, sending him crashing to the floor. "How do you think! I want to know what those energy readings you detected are!" Mondo heaved his great bulk across the lab and yanked his majordomo back to his feet. "What do those readings coming to and from Earth mean? Has something been brought there, or sent away? Why was there interference with your scans? What do the readings mean, what are they!" 

Klank gulped nervously; were he human, his palms would be sweating. "I - I don't know yet sire. But I am working on it!" 

Mondo growled, and knocked Klank across the room again. "You had _better_ find out what those readings mean, or else!" he warned before storming out of the lab. "If the Rangers are planning something, I want to know about it!" 

"Y-yes, sire," Klank groaned, carefully picking himself up off of the floor, his gears and joints grinding together noisily as he made his way back to the sensors. He couldn't deny that his master was right about one thing: if the Rangers were up to something, then they needed to know, and fast.

* * *

It took nearly an hour and then some, but at last, Zimmer had carefully recreated his clone of Billy from the scant traces of smoke he had recovered from the sky thousands of feet above the woods on Earth. "How do you feel, my servant?" 

"Ticked off, that's how I feel, what do you think! I couldn't take the Crystal!" 

"Well, I see you have your memories still intact, my _servant_," Zimmer emphasized the word. He stared at his clone, unblinking, until the double of Billy Cranston finally cowed a bit. "I know how disappointed you must have been when you couldn't take the Silver Crystal," he purred. "It must have been so heart-breaking to know that you couldn't stay real. I'm truly sorry, I didn't know that you wouldn't be able to touch the crystal," the wizard lied. 

"Yeah, right, I can hear you crying now. If you're wondering, I didn't let on to anything before I went 'poof', I just shrugged my shoulders and ceased to exist quietly. The Rangers don't know anything about what you or I have done, at least not from me," the impostor growled. When Zimmer only stared at him silently in reply, he could barely control his anger at his creator. "What do you want, _master_?" the clone spat out in disgust. "Surely there's some reason you brought me back into existence. Are you finally going to let me get my hands on that girl for good this time? I want her Zimmer, _I want her..._ Do I get her for good this time?" 

"Perhaps," Zimmer nodded to the clone. "If you can help me with one last thing concerning the Silver Ranger." 

"Perhaps? _Perhaps_! I may have been created for the first time in the past few hours, but I'm no fool! You gave me the ability to tap into that wimp's genius mind, after all. No, master, you won't get any help from me this time. If I can't stay real so I can take that girl for my own purposes, then no deals!" 

"If you don't help me, then I'll do away with you right now, _my clone._" 

The fake Billy opened his mouth to protest, but found that he couldn't argue with that fact. Until he could somehow gain his freedom, he belonged to Zimmer, and Zimmer could get rid of him at any point and time. _ I've gotten rather used to existing, how do I keep this to my advantage?_ Then the clone smiled, his immorally gained intelligence allowing him to see a possible Achilles heel in his master. "You won't get rid of me... not yet, at least. You need me." 

Zimmer growled ever so softly at that, his clone was starting to get on his few remaining nerves. That the clone was speaking the truth irritated him ever more. "Why should I need a being I created out of smoke and nothingness? A being who owes his every breath to me?" 

The clone gave an exaggerated bow of false acquiescence to his master, "And I am so grateful for those breaths of life, my _master_. But why else would you bother to recreate me, with all that I know and learned on Earth intact? Surely you need me for something that only I can give you, or else I wouldn't be here." The clone sauntered over to the raised dais where Zimmer's throne rested and hopped onto it, sitting with one foot on the floor, and the other in the air as he arrogantly swung his leg over the armrest. "Get rid of me now, and whatever you need me for, whatever problem has come up, could come back to haunt you. If it hasn't already..." 

"What do you want then, clone?" Zimmer rumbled softly, a dangerous color in his tone. 

_That was too easy... But it's my only shot at living, and getting my hands on that Kahva Briton again. I want to terrify her so much, own her, kept her as my captive for all time, MAKE her love me, fear me, obey me... I've got to take this chance, it's the only one I'm going to get!_ "It's simple, really. I want to live - on Earth. I think you can guess why." The false Billy stared at his master, waiting for his answer. 

Zimmer smiled thinly, shaking his head. "Out of the question. You cannot live on Earth." 

"Then there's no deal!" 

"Hear me out, my servant," Zimmer calmly said, holding up a hand to still the clone's shouts. "I said you cannot live on _Earth._ There is a reason for that. Earth has very little magic, almost none. If I make you real, you will need to live on a planet that has magic, so that you can stay real." The evil wizard chuckled a bit, "Any one of the worlds I rule should suffice. But don't worry, I'll let you go to Earth long enough to kidnap that irritating child. There's something about her... You can have her," he finished. "I'll be glad to know that she's out my way for good." 

_Kahva Briton scares him... Why? He doesn't even know her name, but she scares him. I wish that I could have tapped more of her background out of Cranston's mind, her background and Sheena's, he kept most of that from me somehow, I was only able to learn about the past year or two... It doesn't matter, once I have her as my captive, her past, no one's past, will mean anything - for she will be mine forever! But I don't, I can't trust Master Zimmer... ahh, that's it!_ he brightened up as he realized how guarantee his price for helping his creator. "I want it in writing, Zimmer. I want a contract. A magical one, that not even you can break," he added as Zimmer went to a nearby desk to pull out some paper. "And I want witnesses." 

Zimmer growled and nearby ended the clone's existence right then, but instead bellowed out a call to his bodyguards to have a few prisoners brought up from his dungeons. The wizard was pleased to hear them report that there were none, all those who had been held there had died in the past month from either starvation, or torture... or both. "My bodyguards shall be your witnesses then. Agreed?" 

"I don't care who the witnesses are, just as long as the contract is magical." 

"It shall be done then." Zimmer quickly conjured up a magical scroll, with the terms of the contract burned into the paper with his own blood. "I'd ask for you to sign the contract with your blood, but yours isn't true yet, so I suppose ink will have to do," he told the fake Billy, handing him a magical quill. The clone quickly glanced over the contract, then eagerly signed it. Zimmer smiled, then signed his own name in an elegant scrawl, making the contract binding for both parties. "It is done, you have a contract." 

The clone smiled, then gave his master another exaggerated bow. "How may I serve you, oh great evil Master?" 

Zimmer's voice dropped so low and cold that the flames on the candelabra actually froze from his evilness, then slowly fell to the floor, shattering like so much glass. "I want you to break my future wife's heart."

* * *

ALPHA, WHAT DO YOUR SCANS SHOW OF THE OTHERS? Zordon anxiously asked. DID THEY REACH THE KEEPER'S PLANET SAFELY? 

"Ay-yi-yi! I'm not sure, Zordon! All scans of the planet are being blocked! I don't understand it, we were able to scan the planet before, though we couldn't find any signs of the Crystal, I don't know what is wrong, -" 

"Calm yourself, Alpha-5," came the Keeper's voice unexpectedly. "I am the reason you cannot scan the planet. I do this for every quest, to keep the trials honest, and the questors safe from prying eyes. I must also tell you that I tried to keep the arrival of those gathered here, and the departure of the questors cloaked as well, but even now, King Mondo is scanning the Earth, trying to find out the meanings of the energy readings his servant Klank detected." 

"Then he knows we are here?" Cestro asked. "Is he planning an attack?" 

"He does not know yet, but my magic here will soon fade. At that point, it will be only a matter of time before he discovers the source of the readings, and their meaning. You must all be prepared to defend the Earth," she warned. Then the voice seemed to almost sit on Alpha's shoulder, growing concerned and even softer. "I am worried that there is something wrong with the questors, for I detect tiny slivers of magic clinging to some of them. Dark magic. Please try to find out what it may be. It is too late to stop the quest now, for your Silver Ranger is in great danger of losing herself to Zimmer Delnas forever. But you must try to find out where these whisper-like dark threads have come from. Once the quest is over, they must be removed from the affected questors." 

DARK MAGIC, KEEPER? Zordon's voice resounded throughout the chamber. BUT ANY DARK MAGIC WILL INTERFERE WITH THE QUEST, WILL IT NOT? THEY MUST BE BROUGHT BACK, AND THE MAGIC REMOVED, SO - 

"Once the questors are on the planet, they cannot leave until the trials are over, or unless they are grievously injured. Nor can anyone talk to them, or come to their aid. As Keeper, I can appear to them, watch over them, even answer a few questions as they pass their trials. But I cannot assist them in any other way, not even to try to remove the dark threads. If I do so, now that they are already on the planet and due to start their quest soon, it will violate the rules of the Quest. Once on the planet, each questor must face their trial as they are from the moment they step onto my planet's soil. Any alteration attempted will be seen as a possible attempt to skew the results of the trial, and most likely will destroy any hope of their attaining the Crystal. I am sorry, Zordon. I did not detect the dark threads until the questors arrived on my planet. Until the quest for the Crystal of Truth is over, there is nothing that can be done for them... except to pray for their success." The Keeper's voice rose above them all, fading away, "Take heart, chosen defenders, I will watch over them and care for their well-being as much as the rules of the Quest will allow. I have chosen these questors for good reason. Now it is up to you to keep faith in them, as they must keep faith and believe in themselves." 

An eerie silence filled the main chamber as those who were left behind looked at each other, wondering just what the Keeper could mean. "Ay-yi-yi!" Alpha screamed suddenly, shuffling over as fast as possible to the records they had of the park. "She said threads, she said _threads_!" 

"What is wrong Alpha?" Aurico asked, surprised by the outburst, then by Cestro's sudden gasp and own running over to the consoles to help Alpha. "What are you -" 

"The Keeper said 'dark threads', Aurico," Delphine said softly, as the full impact of the words hit her as well. "The spell on Sheena is woven of dark threads of magic. Dark threads that keep her from seeing the truth." 

"Rangers!" Alpha screamed out, a few sparks flying from his neck now. "It happened at the carnival! Some of them were surrounded by dark threads at the carnival! The records show it! Ay-yi-yi, that is why they didn't believe fully that something was wrong! This is terrible!" Alpha started shooting out more sparks then, and spewing traces of electrical smoke, anything else he might be trying to say garbled as his circuits overloaded with worry. Cestro quickly shut him down, then went for a repair kit as the others all worriedly discussed this turn of events. 

Zordon gazed down upon them all, growing more fearful for the success of the questors, and the fate of the Silver Ranger. _HOW CAN THEY PASS THE TRIALS IF THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO SEE AND FEEL THE TRUTH FOR THEMSELVES? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY RANGERS - MY CHILDREN, IF THEY CANNOT SUCCEED? GREAT POWER OF LIGHT AND GOOD, PLEASE LOOK OUT FOR AND PROTECT MY CHOSEN ONES - MY CHILDREN, ALL OF MY CHILDREN. GIVE THEM THE STRENGTH TO FIND THE TRUTH WITHIN... KEEP THEM SAFE..._

* * *

Like twin shadows of darkest night and evil, Zimmer and the clone of Billy entered the chamber where Sheena lay still and silent in deep slumber. So exhausting had her day been, thanks to Zimmer, he knew she wouldn't have awakened at their entrance, even without the spelled sleep. He watched her hungrily for a few moments, anticipating what would happen once he had finished the fascination spell on her. _ And there will be no other for her but me, for all time. I will be her master, her lord, her love, her lover, and her husband until the very cosmos themselves vanish and are no more. _

Quietly he reached out and stroked her cheek, wishing with all his soul he could continue, then complete the spell right here and now. _I can't though. To do so this soon would ruin everything I've worked for since that first moment I saw you in the museum on Eltar. Even then I knew it was you,_ he thought._ Your face and form are the perfect mirror image of your ancestor. Kahva escaped me, first with that Dalien, then with the Power Rangers, and finally with her death. But you shall not escape me, not ever. For all time you will be mine!_

"If you could possibly drag your mind out of the gutter and back to business, _master?_" the cool, mocking voice of the clone interrupted his thoughts, and he glared at the fake. He kept forgetting that he had crafted the clone to consider Sheena one of the most despicable beings in creation, though he would never harm her physically. _But emotionally and mentally are two things that are altogether different, however. I will tolerate him... for now._

Zimmer straightened up and smiled wickedly at the copy. "You are a fine one to speak of a 'gutter', Billy-_clone_," he said frostily. "But we'll settle your half of the bargain later. First, on to this." 

He held his hand out to the clone, who took it somewhat reluctantly. It would require both of them to cast the spells that would do what he wanted done to her. A faint silvery glow coldly shone from where their hands met, then floated down to wrap itself around Sheena, insinuating its amoral essence into her mind. Zimmer couldn't contain the laughter he wanted to break into this time, but managed to keep it reduced to a simple chuckle. "Sleep well, my future wife," he purred, stroking her cheek again. "And dream of the horrible things that your friends are doing while you are gone, and all that they did to you while you were still with them. Dream of how much I love you, how I am your only friend, how even your husband and so-called sister betrayed you, with each other no less." 

The evil sorcerer wished he could let his caresses go even farther, but that was not yet to be. He licked his lips a little, deciding to risk just one thing. He could almost sense his clone rolling his eyes as Zimmer leaned over and placed a long, soft kiss on Sheena's lips. The sleeping woman smiled very faintly as she turned over, and Zimmer longed for so much more... _that I will have in time,_ he reminded himself harshly, taking the clone by his arm roughly and dragging him out of the chamber. With a simple gesture he locked it behind him, he didn't want anyone interfering in Sheena's dreams before he was ready. 

"And now," the clone growled. "It is time for my part of the deal. Remember? I get the child." 

Zimmer smiled thinly. "Not just yet. I want to be certain Sheena's heart is shattered beyond repair first. After all," his eyes narrowed and filled with a mocking laughter. "You wouldn't want me to interrupt your little sojourn with that girl, would you?" 

The clone said nothing in response, his eyes flaring dark blue with rage. Zimmer only smiled, gesturing for the creation to precede him down the hallway, the bodyguards still following silently. The wizard chuckled mentally, well pleased so far with how his plans were proceeding. _The fool has no conception of my true plans, and he never will. He was as easy to deceive as the fool I based him on! Ah, what a wonderful day this is..._

* * *

Tommy caught his breath as he was suddenly transported from the Power Chamber to what looked to be the rocky shore of an island. He looked around, wondering if this was where he and whoever else was chosen would begin their quest for the Crystal of Truth. He had barely thought the question before there was a wash of pink light in front of him, and Kat appeared out of thin air, literally falling on top of him. 

"Well, gorgeous," he grinned at her, letting himself forget for just a few moments as to why they were there. "Falling all over yourself for me?" Tommy couldn't help the teasing tone of his voice, despite the seriousness of the situation. There was just something about being this close to the woman he loved that brought out the romantic in him at the very worst times, it seemed. _ Or is it because this quest is starting to scare me before it even starts? Get a grip, Tommy Oliver, Kat should slap you for that comment!_

"Funny, Tommy, very funny," she half-groaned, getting to her feet. "Where are we?" 

"Looked like you were about thirty seconds to lip-lock to me," Rocky's dry voice caused them both to look up and see the Gold and Blue Zeo Rangers standing side by side next to each other. "I could be wrong, though." 

Jason shook his head, a small half-smile crossing his face. "I doubt it," was all he managed to get out before Tanya appeared with a small 'pop' of dislocated air, and Adam came into existence right behind her, the two of them steadying each other almost automatically. The six of them looked at each other almost nervously as they formed a small, tight knot, looking around for whoever it was would be next. 

Silence reigned for almost a full three minutes with no more arrivals. "She wouldn't... she couldn't have left Billy and Kahva out, would she?" Tanya asked. It would be a travesty of the very worst kind of Billy didn't come along, with the very fate of his wife's life at stake, and though none of them wanted Kahva to put herself in danger, they knew she deserved to go just as much as any of them did. "Could she?" 

Then another 'pop' sounded, and there stood Billy, looking around rather wildly, then relaxing slowly once he saw where he was, and that he wasn't alone. "Thank you," he whispered softly, starting to walk over to them. "Hi, guys." His greeting was somewhat subdued, but still carried a little warmth. 

"Hey," Jason nodded. No one said anything more. They didn't really seem to need to. Without knowing how, they knew there was still one more to come. They didn't know who it was, they just knew the choosing wasn't yet complete. They stood in an open ended circle, waiting patiently for that last one of their team. "I wonder who's next? There is going to be someone else, isn't there?" 

"The Keeper said, "Two more have been chosen, two who call the Silver Ranger family, and who truly are family," then I was teleported right after that. So there should be someone else," Billy answered him. 

"Then we're waiting for David, sounds like," Jason stated, disappointment coloring his tone. He blushed then, and looked at Tommy apologetically. "I'm sorry Tommy, I don't mean anything bad by that, but - " 

"I know," Tommy replied. "I was hoping for Kahva to come too. Though I'll be glad to have David here, I think we were all hoping for Kahva to be included on this." 

"Families aren't always born or formed from blood," Kat softly pointed out. Silence reigned as the questors waited for their last team member, whoever it was. At last, they were rewarded with a now-familiar soft 'pop' as the last of their team appeared with the same displacement of air as had announced their arrivals. Their teammate landed gently in their midst, with eyes as wide as saucers from the trip. 

"Glad you're here," Tommy greeted their compatriot. "And I'm glad that you had a much better landing than I did," he chuckled softly. 

Kat smiled broadly, "I knew the Keeper would pick you, after what Billy told us," she said, crossing over to the newcomer and drawing her into a warm hug. "You're the best one for this, Kahva." 

Kahva bit her lip a little, not having had a chance to move away from Kat's impulsive gesture. Something about it gave her a little more courage, however, and she smiled a cautious smile, a smile tempered with the knowledge that they didn't have a lot of time. Before she could say anything, the Keeper's voice sounded, and she was distracted both by what it said, and that same nagging sense of familiarity she'd had before. _ Why can't I place that voice? Why did she choose me, David is Sheena's blood cousin, and a much better fighter and all-around athlete than I am. Why me?_

"The Questors have been chosen. Rest for the night, and with the breaking of the dawn will come the beginning of your quest." Blankets and bedrolls appeared on the ground a few feet away, far out of reach of the incoming tide. "Sleep well tonight, and may all that is good guard your quest on the morrow, my young warriors."

* * *

_"Guys? Guys, where are you? I'm back, there's been some sort of misunderstanding, we have to talk. Guys?" Sheena's voice echoed eerily down the dark, empty hallways of the Power Chamber. "Where is everybody!" she called out again. If there was an attack going on, then she needed to reclaim her Silver Crystal, they needed to defeat the menace, then talk out everything that had happened that day. "What's that?" she wondered softly to herself as voices drifted towards her, drawing her to the main chamber. "Billy? Kahva? Guys? Are you in there?" Sheena crossed the entrance into the main chamber, then froze in horror and pain. "No... It can't be!" _

TAKE THE SILVER POWER CRYSTAL, MY DEAR DAUGHTER. AS THE RIGHTFUL AND TRUE DESCENDANT OF KAHVA KILANYE, IT IS YOUR DESTINY. 

"Thank you, father," came the soft reply. "I only hope I can take the power now, that Sheena's holding of them hasn't tainted them somehow." Carefully, the dark-haired beauty took the crystal offered to her by Billy, then stood in the midst of the Power Rangers. "Here goes nothing." 

"NO! You can't take them, you aren't a Power Ranger, you can't possibly want this!" Sheena screamed, but no one heard her. Against all that she knew to be true about who could hold a power crystal, there stood her best friend and soul-sister, holding that which should be passing through her hands. The Silver Power Crystal. Sheena's Silver Power Crystal. "She's - she can't be meant to be a Ranger, Zordon would've said something before now, she can't possibly hold the Silver Power, can she?" Sheena muttered to herself in disbelief. "This can't be happening! Kahva, don't! Please!" 

There were exuberant cheers in the Power Chamber, cheers of joy and relief as Kahva Briton held the Silver Crystal over her head and shouted out words that cut Sheena to the quick. "Silver Ranger Power!" With a brilliant flash, she morphed into the Silver Ranger, standing just as tall and proud as Sheena ever had. Billy grabbed her tightly in his arms and embraced her, a joy on his face that Sheena had only ever seen turned towards herself before. 

"I KNEW you could take her powers, I knew it!" he grinned as Kahva removed the helmet and waved to them all. Everyone seemed incredibly happy over this new Ranger, far happier than they'd been when Sheena had arrived there the first time. 

Kahva's lips thinned briefly in something that sort of vaguely resembled a smile. "Of course I can. After all, didn't the blood tests show that I'm the TRUE last descendent of Kahva Kilanye?" It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact as she turned back to look at their mentor, her near-father. 

Zordon nodded from his time warp, obviously greatly pleased at seeing his near-daughter in the silver uniform. I SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT YOUR POWER SIGNATURE WAS SO GREAT NOT MERELY BECAUSE OF YOUR INHERITED POWER FROM ELYSIA AND MYSELF, BUT BECAUSE OF THE KILANYE BLOODLINE, WHICH ELTARIAN RECORDS SHOW MARRIED INTO ELYSIA'S BLOODLINE. WE SHOULD HAVE STRIPPED SHEENA OF HER POWERS AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVED. 

Tanya shrugged. "Well, at least this way we know she's not going to be coming back to try and attack us. We're rid of her, and we've still got the Silver Power on our side. No more worries about a traitor in our midst. Sheena is finally gone from us." 

"True," Tommy agreed. "And I'm glad you guys still want me as your leader. I knew I shouldn't have given my spot to her. She just couldn't take it," he shook his head. "I don't think I even want to consider her a relative anymore. Thank God she's from Kahva Kilanye's sister's line, and not Tilrak's after all, like Kahva is." Tommy laughed at the arched eyebrow the new Silver Ranger shot him. "Tilrak's line, and Elysia's, you're doubly over-qualified for the position," he proclaimed with a happy laugh, giving their newest Ranger a bow. "Unlike Sheena, who was obviously under-qualified. In fact, from now on, David and I will no longer consider her a relative, nor call her one." 

Billy looked down at his left hand in disgust, and jerked the wedding ring Sheena had picked out for him with such care and love off, tossing it to the side as if it were a thing of foulness. "I know I won't, not anymore, not ever again. I can't believe I was actually married to her for over a year!" 

Kahva placed a loving hand on his shoulder as she powered down. "We don't have to worry about that anymore," she said, smiling sweetly. "All we have to worry about is each other, and making some real progress in defending this planet." 

The Sapphire Ranger glanced around and nodded. "And you and I can have a real wedding," he wrapped an arm around Kahva, drawing her closer to him for a tender and loving kiss. 

The other Rangers cheered them on as the kiss continued. "NO!" Sheena wished with all her soul in that moment that she could get her hands around both of their necks and just squeeze them so hard... But all she could do was stand there in the Power Chamber and stare at the people she had thought were her friends and family, who she had trusted in and given her trust to, only to have it broken beyond belief. 

Kahva nodded happily as their kiss ended at last. "Yes, a beautiful church wedding," she smiled, starting to describe the sort of elaborate ceremony that Sheena knew Kahva had always thought was pretentious and pompous, not at all what her soul-sister had desired in the past for her dream wedding. Her own religious beliefs had led them to the much simpler ceremony that they had gone through, but it was obvious from the look on Billy's face that he much preferred what Kahva was planning. 

"How could you turn like this? How could you possibly want such a monstrous, conceited affair? Kahva, how could you want or do this!" Sheena screamed at them, rushing into their midst, but no one seemed to even notice she was there. "Why won't anyone listen to me!" 

"I love it, Kahva! So much nicer and so much more appropriate than the little farce I had with her," he half-growled out the final syllable. "I never was all that comfortable with her beliefs, you know. They just didn't seem... right." 

Almost as if they were puppets on the same string, everyone else nodded in agreement with him. Sheena could feel her heart being crushed under the weight of their words, tears filling up her already tear-reddened eyes. "How could you?" she whispered hoarsely. "Why didn't you ever say anything? Why did you all pretend? Why!" 

She crumpled to the floor, not wanting to see the others as they gathered around to welcome Kahva as they had once welcomed her, as the new Silver Ranger and Billy's bride-to-be; in the background she could hear the Aquitian Rangers and Prince Dex, then the Treys from Triforia sending their own greetings and welcome to her. 

"My dear Rangers," came another familiar voice, as two columns of light suddenly shimmered into the Power Chamber, then quickly faded away to reveal two old friends. 

"Master Madas! Ninjor!" the young people all exclaimed happily, rushing to greet their wise old friends. 

"Kahva, Billy," Master Madas spoke again, his voice warm and full of love. "Congratulations on finally finding each other, and finding the truth of your love. I knew it would only be a matter of time before your destinies brought you two together at last." 

"Thank you, Master Madas," Kahva and Billy replied reverently. 

"Yes, congratulations, my dear niece," Ninjor joined in. Several more agonizing moments passed by for Sheena as she watched the two wise old warriors continue to congratulate and wish Kahva and Billy well. 

"Kahva, after you and Billy return from your honeymoon, would you like to come to Eltar and train in ki-see?" Master Madas asked. "I think you're a natural, and have the potential to be a ki-see master, perhaps one of the best." 

"I would be honored, Master Madas!" Kahva exclaimed happily. "Do you really think I could become a ki-see master? Oh wow, if I could, then I could teach the others, and then our enemies wouldn't stand a chance!" 

"Yes, I think you not only can become a master of ki-see, I know you will," Master Madas smiled. "Something that Sheena proved to be a great disappointment in." Frowning, the ki-see master continued, "I once thought that she had the potential to be a minor master of the art, but she failed at even that task. Anyone of you here could become a minor master, I can see now that all of you have more skill and intelligence that Sheena ever did." 

"Master, no! How can you say that! Master Madas, don't you turn on me as well! Master, please!" Sheena begged. But her pleas were all for naught as Master Madas asked one last thing of Kahva: the honor of giving her away at her wedding. Casach was then teleported to the Power Chamber from Eltar, and included once again as a ring-bearer. The big cat seemed even closer to Kahva than ever before, and even growled at very mention of Sheena's name. "Casach?" Sheena whispered brokenly. "Even you? Why can't anyone hear me, why do you all despise me so? Why?" 

Then the scene shifted abruptly, and somehow, some way, they were in a grand cathedral, a place that Sheena didn't think even existed in Angel Grove, and everyone she had come to know in this world was gathered there to witness the marriage of Kahva to Billy. A breathtaking figure in white rustled softly by Sheena, walking with queen-like grace on the arm of Master Madas. "Elysia's wedding dress," Sheena mumbled to herself in a daze. "Kahva no, please don't do this to me, please... Please don't take him from me..." 

Sheena helplessly watched the ceremony, a piece of her heart shattering with every loving look, every caress Billy's hands gave Kahva's. "I now pronounce you man and wife," the preacher exclaimed with pleasure. "William, you may now kiss your bride." 

The cheers from the congregation were deafening and painful, cruel hammers that pounded away at Sheena's heart without any mercy. Tears spilled down her cheeks, as she cried out with all her heart and soul for someone, anyone, who wouldn't turn away from her, who would always stand by her as she stood by them, no matter what... 

But there was no one who would even look at her... Then suddenly, Sheena felt eyes upon her, familiar eyes, and a familiar mind touching hers. "Kahva?" she sent brokenly, hoping for some assurance that this was all some horrible mistake. The former Silver Ranger hopefully lifted up her head to look at the one person she'd always sworn to love and protect, and give her life for, if need be. The one person who had sworn to be her friend and sister, for all eternity. "Kahva?" 

Her soul-sister stared at the broken-hearted Sheena, her lovely dark brown eyes a cold, bottomless pitch black, her warm features now frigid, void of any compassion or empathy. She gave a slight smile, and sent back only two words to the one she had once called friend and soul-sister. 

"I win."

* * *

In a dusty circle of broken stone and ancient magic, the Keeper stood before a small altar, barely four feet tall, rough-hewn from solid brownish red rock. She waved her hand over the indentation in the top of the altar, then slowly closed her eyes, letting her senses flow all around her, out to the clearing where the young Questors were arranging themselves for a night of what was sure to be fitful slumber. She smiled as her mind's eye saw the young men carefully place the young women between them, the Yellow Ranger between the Green and the Blue, the Pink between the Red and the Sapphire, and the eldest of their number, the non-Ranger between the Sapphire and the Gold. The Blue and Red Rangers were side by side, talking over the day's events, trying to guess what the dawn would hold for them, carefully watching as their companions drifted off one by one to sleep. The Red Ranger waited until the Blue Ranger had fallen asleep beside him before he would allow himself to close his eyes, but finally, all eight young people were asleep. 

"Please rest well, my young warriors. You will need all your strength renewed and your minds not fogged by sleep if you are to succeed, and save your leader." The Keeper's spirit rose out of her body and floated down to the sleeping young people, trying to determine just which of them had been tainted by the threads of dark magic, and whether or not they would interfere with their chances in the trials. _ If only I could remove these threads myself. But even if I could, the rules of the Quest prohibit me from aiding these brave souls in any way but to care for their basic needs, and to take them to safety if seriously injured._ At least the threads were slight, and not all of their number had been affected by them. The Red, Pink, Green and Yellow seemed to be the only ones that the threads clung to; the Sapphire, Blue and Gold were free of all traces of dark magic. _But you, my dear troubled child. You have been harmed by the source of those foul threads - no, I sense he was a carrier, not the true source. He borrowed those threads from his master, and cast them as he saw fit. _ The spirit of the Keeper hovered over Kahva, tapped into her mind, and saw the terror she had endured that day. _Poor child. You mustn't keep this inside, you must talk to your friends._

The spirit floated to Billy next, and saw in his mind what he had lived through, and had just barely escaped. _ Zimmer Delnas is even more twisted than my incantations had showed me. These young people simply must succeed, they must!_ But her heart fell as she continued to read their slumbering minds._ They have all been so badly betrayed by that monstrous, vile wizard. and they are all blaming themselves so harshly for not seeing his treachery, when none of them are to blame at all! Great Light, I cannot aid these brave young warriors, please keep them safe! If they fail, I fear for what evil may befall their world, and also many, many others. _

Then the Keeper tapped into the deepest reserves of her power, and sought out the one who the eight questors desired to free. Her spirit found the sad, now-former Silver Ranger deep in ensorcelled sleep, lying in no less than Zimmer's personal bedchambers. A soft moan, followed soon after by a despairing cry, told the spirit without any magic at all that the young woman was caught up in a nightmare. Searching deeper, using what energy she had left to spare, the Keeper discovered that the nightmare was not purely her own, but one conjured from her fears, and the twisted mind of Zimmer's depraved creation. _Fight it Silver Ranger, fight against the magic that clouds your mind and will, fight it! Your friends love you, they have not betrayed you! _ But the magical web wound tightly around Sheena kept the Keeper's spirit from reaching her. Suddenly, the Keeper felt a link powering up between the dreaming captive and her soul-sister so very far away. Even the distance and the magic that separated them now had not quite yet completely severed their precious link and bond. _ Yes, find each other, know that your love is true, do not give in - No! _ The backlash of their combined pain repelled the Keeper's spirit fiercely back into her own body, knocking her against the sacred altar. 

"No! They were so close." Quickly the Keeper reached for the pouch of magical dust she always kept attached to her waistband, and poured a small amount into the bowl-like indentation in the top of the altar. The dust shimmered in the moonlight, then transformed into a watery mirror, showing her both Sheena Devereaux and Kahva Briton as they slept, trapped in their hurtful dreams. Their link had flared up instinctively in their nightmares, each seeking out the other for aid - but their awful pain had repulsed each other, throwing them both helplessly back into their nightmares. The images then faded, and the Keeper sank to the ground, tired, saddened, and close to tears herself from the terrible things she'd seen. "Great Light and Good, have you forsaken these children? Why must they endure this torment? Why!" she screamed, even as her powers told her the nightmares were beginning once again for Sheena and Kahva. "Why!" 

Instantly a rapid series of visions assaulted the Keeper, as she was shown the barest of glimpses into many possible futures, tiny shards of the what-may-be. The Keeper closed her eyes and whispered a prayer of safekeeping over and over again for the nine young troubled lives, desperately hoping for the sake of all that was good and right that some how, some way, the eight on her world would be able to pass the trials, then answer her questions correctly. _ If they cannot succeed. May all that is holy save us all from the darkness to come. _

* * *

_"Sheena! Sheena, where are you, we have to talk! Billy is acting very strangely, we have to talk! Sheena! Answer me, please!" Odd, mocking echoes shouted back at the scared young woman, sneering at her fear. Goosebumps covered her arms as the feeling of eyes upon her, peering out of the shadows, watching her every move, her very breath, sent waves of terror shivering up and down her spine. "Sheena please, where are you, we have to talk, now!" Kahva's shouts continued to go answered as her nervous steps took her behind the Haunted House ride at the carnival. "Oh God no, not here, how did I get here again?" she gasped, as she realized she'd seen and been through this same scene all before. "I can't go through this again, I can't - I've got to get away, I can't let him find me here, I have to get away - " _

"Get away from who? Me?" 

"Sheena! Oh, thank God you're here!" Kahva cried out, rushing to pull her soul-sister into a fierce hug. "How did you get here, how did I get here - nevermind. Sheena, something strange is going on here, Billy has been acting weird. No, wait, he WAS acting weird, but it turned out to not be him at all, but a clone, and we've been trying to find you, the others said you left with Zimmer, how did you -" 

"What ARE you babbling on about, Kahva?" came the cold voice of Sheena, as she shoved the elder girl away. "What clone, and who on Earth is Zimmer? Wait, you can't possibly be talking about that guy I met on Eltar, can you? Why on Earth would I go anywhere with him?" 

"But the others said -" 

"The others? The others! They haven't said a thing, except to tell me the truth about you!" 

"Sheena, listen to me, please!" 

"Kahva, I don't have the time for your filthy lies, especially not after what you've done today, so shut up! Your voice has got to be the most disgusting sound in the universe, do you know that?" Sheena roughly shoved Kahva against the Haunted House ride and angrily slapped her face, hard enough to leave the print of her hand on her cheek. "I don't know why I ever thought I could trust you, husband-stealer!" 

Kahva timidly rubbed her cheek, fighting back the hot tears of pain that threatened to spill from her eyes. "No! I haven't stolen Billy, it's a clone, -" 

"So now you're trying to say you're a clone-stealer? Give me a break, stupid girl!" 

"No! Sheena please, you have to listen to me, -" Kahva started fearfully, her voice quavering as she tried to reason with her best friend. 

"I don't have to listen to ANYTHING!" Sheena roared, clamping her powerful hands around Kahva's throat, slowly squeezing it more and more, until Kahva's vision started to blur from lack of air. "You're a liar, and a pathetic one at that. There is no clone, there never has been a clone! You stole Billy from me, you lured him away from me! YOU BETRAYED ME!" she screamed at her soul-sister, slamming Kahva's head against the wall of the Haunted House ride repeatedly until Kahva could no longer struggle against her soul-sister's rage. 

Sheena hurled Kahva to the ground then, kicking at her. "You're nothing but a slut! A stupid, pathetic, lying little slut! I hate you, Kahva, I HATE YOU! You are dead to me, do you hear! You are DEAD!" 

"Sheena, please!" Kahva croaked, too hurt and dizzy to move. "Don't say that!" 

"If she's dead, then I suppose I go to the victor?" came another achingly familiar voice, one full of desire. "After all, I don't date husband-stealers." 

"Mmm. Yes, Daniel. You're mine now," Sheena softly chuckled, her voice all sultry-soft and desirous now. "I always did think you were more handsome than Billy. Though I have to admit, he's still absolutely gorgeous, even if he has betrayed me with my so-called sister." Sheena gently pulled Daniel into a passionate kiss, every second of it shattering Kahva's very heart and soul. "Enjoying the view, slut?" Sheena laughed at the helpless girl, lying unmoving on the cold, hard ground. "Where, oh where is your hero Billy when you need him? Or maybe Jason, for that matter? Emily's been right the whole time, you've been trying to steal him too." 

"But she hasn't succeeded, though. I love only Emily, I could never care about that traitorous soul-sister of yours," came Jason's voice then, as he appeared from out of nowhere, followed closely by the other Rangers, and David Trueheart. 

"You make us sick!" Tommy exclaimed, walking right past her with the others, ignoring Kahva's plight and heading straight for Sheena. "Congratulations on finding a better man, Sheena. We all like Daniel, and you two should make a perfect couple." 

"Slut," Kat and Tanya both hissed at Kahva as they passed her by to join Sheena. 

"How could you?" David asked, as he joined the others. "We all trusted you! Sheena trusted you! How could you do this!" 

"Slither away like the evil snake you are!" Adam yelled as Rocky kicked her in the ribs, then the two of them joined their friends around Sheena and Daniel. 

"NO! I haven't done anything wrong, please listen to me! It's a clone, he's not the real Billy, I didn't do ANYTHING! Please believe me!" Kahva screamed, sobbing brokenly. "I didn't do anything wrong, it isn't my fault! Somebody please listen to me!" But even as she struggled to sit up, all of her friends walked off, laughing coldly at her. 

Kahva buried her head in her arms, huddled on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why me, why?" she moaned, wanting desperately for someone to listen to her, to at least consider that what she was saying was true. 

A hand rested upon her shoulder suddenly, and a surprisingly gentle male voice floated down to her. "Poor little Kahva," Jason clucked with false sympathy. "You want someone to trust you, is that it?" 

"Jason, please, you have to listen to me, I'm telling the truth!" 

"That's what the traitors always say in the movies, isn't it? We're not stupid, little girl," Jason laughed as he ripped her communicator harshly from her wrist, then spit in her face. "Even Zordon, your own father, hates you, he's taken your abilities from you. What, don't believe me?" he sneered, even as Kahva tried to stop him from leaving. "Then just try to shift with your new boyfriend, slut." 

"My what? Jason, don't leave me, I'm telling the truth! JASON!" But the Gold Ranger was gone, and Kahva was utterly alone. save for one other. 

"Finally," came the voice of Billy Cranston. "Finally, we get to have some privacy, my dear Kahva." 

"Get away from me clone, stay away from me!" Kahva warned bravely, but her voice betrayed her fear. "You're not Billy, and you're not going to touch me again! Guys! Help!" 

"They won't help you now," he laughed evilly. "No one helps a husband-stealer, Kahva. I'm not the clone, by the way, I'm the real Billy. and once I get through with you, you're going to wish that I WAS the clone." 

"B-Billy? No, don't, stay away from me, you don't mean this, you're not Billy, you can't be!" Kahva somehow managed to scramble to her feet and tried to run, but Billy tackled her easily. "Let me go! Let me go!" 

"Why would I want to do that, when I've got you right where I want you?" Billy purred into her ear, his hot breath dancing over her skin. Deftly he tossed her onto her back and kneeled over her, pinning her to the ground securely. "Tell me something, since you think you're so smart, little girl," he growled into her lips, forcing a deep kiss. "Just where do you think that clone of mine got his inspiration?" Billy waited until Kahva's face went dead white with terrified realization. "You got it. And now." he laughed, pulling Kahva tightly to his body, trapping her arms to her sides cruelly, "you get to see what an original can do!" 

"No, let me go, you don't want to do this, Billy! Sheena! Help me! Please!" the captive young woman cried, her frantic struggles totally fruitless as Billy's arms crushed her, his very body her prison now. "Stop this! Stop it! Let go of me!" The voices of the others assaulted her now, cheering Billy on, demeaning Kahva in every way possible. "STOP IT!" 

But her captor's cruel laughter was the only response to her pleas, his hands seemingly everywhere all at once, her defenses shattered, leaving her truly helpless to stop him. and those she had called friends and sister wanted even more. "Don't do this to me, please! Please!" she begged as his assault increased, and her entire being was wracked with horrible pain. "Stop it!" she desperately pleaded one last time as he forced another painful, deep kiss. 

Billy's voice cut through the chaos triumphantly, his evil whisper deafening her. "I win." 

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" 

"Kahva, wake up! KAHVA!" Jason shouted, shaking the screaming, sleeping Kahva. "You're dreaming, wake up!" 

"Kahva, wake up!" Billy pleaded. He'd awoken to her screams and discovered he'd placed his arm on her side in his sleep; he'd been dreaming about Sheena, reaching out for his wife. _Oh no,_ he thought, as the awful, painful images from Kahva's nightmare slammed into his mind through their link. _ Please let her wake up, please!_ Billy gently pulled his dreaming friend up, holding her in his arms, trying to comfort and awaken the young woman. "Kahva, please wake up!" 

"GET OFF OF ME, LET ME GO! NOOOOOOOO! STOP IT!" she screamed, struggling violently in Billy's arms, waking up in an instant. "DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!" she cried out, striking out wildly, blindly behind her, accidentally punching Billy in the face. "I WON'T LET YOU HAVE ME, BI-!" she screamed, turning to face him, then stopped herself as full awareness set in. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, nooooo.." she moaned, crying as she saw Billy holding a hand to his eye, looking at her in shock. "Nooooo." 

"Kahva, it was an accident, you were dreaming -" 

"DON'T TOUCH ME, LEAVE ME ALONE, PLEASE!" the distraught young woman shouted, breaking from his hold and scrambling to her feet. She attempted to run away from him and the others, tripping over her own blanket in the process. "Please, no more, please." she sobbed, drawing herself up into a tight ball on the ground, even as Jason gathered her into his arms. "No more dreams, no more dreams." 

The frightened young woman finally drifted back into a troubled sleep after several minutes of gentle rocking and whispered reassurances from Jason. "What did that. clone," he growled out softly, so as not to wake Kahva up, "do to her!" 

"He. attacked her," Billy breathed, his face just as pale as Kahva's, except for the slight redness from where she had accidentally punched him. _ Heaven help me, I want to tell them so bad, they need to know!_ "Guys, she needs to be the one to tell you what happened, not me." 

"Billy, what do you mean, if you know what happened, tell us, man!" Rocky urged. 

"It's not that simple, is it?" Adam asked gently, knowing the troubled look in Billy's eyes all too well. "That clone." Adam couldn't bring himself to finish the statement. "He made sure you saw what he did all day long, didn't he? Everything?" 

"Yes," Billy replied simply. "Guys, I'll make this promise to you all right now: if Kahva doesn't tell you on her own what happened when we get back home, I will. But she needs to be the one to tell you, she needs to talk it out." 

"But we don't need to push her, either," Tommy warned gently. "She has to tell us when she's ready, or we might do more harm than good. Am I right?" One by one, all the others nodded in worried agreement. After a long silence, everyone slowly settled back down to try and return to sleep. Billy took both Jason's and Kahva's blankets and covered the pair with them, as no one wanted to risk waking Kahva up; she needed peaceful sleep too badly. _At least as peaceful as her sleep can be, under the circumstances. _ "Billy?" Tommy whispered as the Sapphire Ranger laid back down finally. "That clone. did he?" _ I can't even say it!_

"He didn't," Billy whispered softly, so that the others wouldn't hear. "But he came close. That's sorta what Kahva was dreaming about. I don't know how much you saw -" A shake of Tommy's head told him that the Red Ranger hadn't seen the nightmare images through his part of the link they had. "In the dream, none of you believed her in the least, including Sheena, and you all were. cheering me on, so to speak. The 'real' me." 

Tommy shivered as his mind conjured up all sorts of images that Kahva could have been struggling with, pleading with, in her nightmare, realizing that anything he could think of probably paled in comparison to what she had actually experienced in her nightmare. "Billy? What do we do if she doesn't talk about it? What happens then?" 

"I wish I knew, Tom."

* * *

Zimmer's eyes were just barely touched by the smile that creased his face as he and his recreated clone of Billy watched the images of Sheena's nightmare. _ Such lovely pain, such wonderful heartbreak! My clone has tapped her fears very well indeed._ They couldn't actually hear anything, but they could see Sheena's sleeping reactions, and they could see the images of what she was dreaming._ I wonder why I can't see the child clearly, though. My clone attacked her, wants to possess her, so he knows exactly what she looks like. She is a friend of Sheena's, surely my entranced bride-to-be knows what her own friends look like, so why can't I get a clear image of this irritating child? _"Clone, why are the images of that child so blurry? Who is she, I want to know what she looks like." 

Billy-clone raised an eyebrow at that question, his curiosity at his master's unease about the non-Power Ranger increasing even more. _Why does she make him so nervous? My original had some memories about Kahva having some kind of minor abilities. I wish I could have pried more out of his mind! But if my Master is afraid of her._ "I can only do so much, my Master," he purred out the title sarcastically. "After all, I'm only a clone, made to be just as evil and sinister as you - just without the wizardly side benefits. In other words, I don't have the magical power you do. If I did. Well then, you wouldn't be asking me that question, now would you?" 

"Shut up, if you wish to live," Zimmer growled softly, his eyes once again locked on the magical viewscreen. 

Billy-clone wasn't sure if it was deliberate magic, or just from the growl of his master, but for a few seconds he could feel his heart literally stop cold. _He really is afraid of that weakling. Maybe once she's completely under my control, I can use her against him somehow. After all, my master has a lot of nice things, worlds under his thumb. I could get used to those things quite easily. Kahva is my trump card. Whatever it is about her that worries him so, is power for me! _The clone smiled grimly as the viewscreen they were watching Sheena's dreams on went dark. _Time to collect!_ He turned to his master, raising one eyebrow in a hideous mockery of Billy's questioning gaze. "I believe her heart has been well and truly broken. She was doing everything but screaming in pain just now. Pay up, Master. I want my prize." 

"Quite true, quite true, she was almost screaming in pain and heartbreak." _I don't really want to hurt Sheena, at least not for the pain it will cause. I only want to hurt her to drive her even further from her friends and more towards me. If by some chance they actually do come to try and rescue her, I want to be certain she refuses them as fiercely as she did at the carnival! I want her to break their hearts, I want her to come to me and ignore them for all time!_ Zimmer was just briefly honest enough with himself to know that he would have preferred it if she had come to him of her own free will, but with her as his unknowing prisoner and prize, he didn't really care anymore. Sheena was his now; only one final step remained, and that step would be have to be taken with the most extreme delicacy and care. _The more carefully I do it, the stronger the final result would be. _ A good portion of his self control went into keeping himself from licking his lips; he had no intentions of looking too eager in front of his recreated clone._ It might be just a clone, a construction of smoke and magic, but it thinks it has the upper hand. I shall not disabuse it of that belief just yet._

Billy-clone rapidly tapped his foot with annoyance. "I've done my part of our agreement, _Master,_" the word was heavily laced with contempt. "And now I believe that it's time for you to do your part. It's time for me to go to Earth and take possession of the child." 

Zimmer smiled very frostily, and for some reason, even having the contract tight in his fist, the clone felt a shiver of fear. _ He can't break the contract_, he reminded himself, daring to glare at the wizard. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" A small movement from the shadows near the chamber door caught his eye then. _ What? I thought we were alone in here._

"Master Delnas," a servant timidly broke in. "I have a report for you, my lord." 

"I left orders that we were not to be disturbed!" Zimmer roared at the thin little man, backhanding him against the far wall with unnerving ease. "How long have you been in here, _spy?"_

"Oh sire, please forgive me, no! I am not a spy, I swear it on my children's lives!" he cried out with a fearful squeak. The terrified underling dropped to the floor in front of his liege lord and master, prostrating himself. "I have only just entered, my lord, I swear! I - I have a report from your forces returning from Thelon 5. They have just returned, and with the prisoners you commanded. From what they've reported so far, it sounds like they have captured most of the royal family, including the King and Queen." 

"Excellent!" Zimmer shouted, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "I shall go to the dungeons shortly, have them put in the deepest levels." 

"Yes, sire!" the servant yelped, scurrying out of the chamber as quickly as his shaking legs would carry him. He knew he was fortunate his report had been important enough to save him from punishment, but to delay for even a moment now could cost him his life, or even worse, his relative freedom. The servants often whispered amongst themselves about the horrific screams that could be heard from the dungeons late at night, when their Master would pay a visit to certain prisoners. Whatever happened during those late night visits, they were all sure of one thing: death was surely more merciful. 

"Keep her nightmares going, clone. I shall return in a few minutes," Zimmer announced, heading for the doorway. "Oh," he added, a sickly pleased smile curving his thin, cold lips, "and before you even try it, don't attempt to leave. I've not made your existence permanent yet. If you step outside of my castle, you'll cease to exist, contract or no. Stay," he commanded, leaving quickly, eager to examine the treasures brought back by his forces, and to terrify his new prisoners. 

"Stay? _Stay!_ What does he think I am, some mutt! Ha!" the clone growled under his breath, kicking at the door his master had exited through. A twisted smirk wound around the clone's face, and a small laugh escaped. "Could a mutt do _this?_" he breathed, turning back to the viewscreen. Sheena's dreams started anew, more intense, and as the clone flexed his moderate amount of given magic, the image of Kahva Briton became crystal-clear. "You don't get to see her, or know her name, until you pay up your end of the contract,_ Master_." Billy-clone watched Sheena's nightmare play out three times in painful clarity, tracing Kahva's features on the viewscreen each time she appeared. "Soon, my dear child, very soon. You'll just _love_ being my captive for the rest of your life. And once I have used you to take away Zimmer's kingdom, maybe I can use you to take his powers as well. Then I can keep you with me for all eternity!" So enthralled was the clone with the object of his dark intentions, and his own cleverness, he almost didn't hear Zimmer return, and this time with his bodyguards, who locked the massive double doors behind them. _Afraid I'll run away? Are you that nervous, Zimmer?_

Billy-clone blurred the image of Kahva barely in time. "As you can see, your precious Sheena is in sheer agony, _Master._ I've held up my end of the bargain, now you hold up yours. _I want the child!"_

"No." 

"We have a contract! A _magical_ contract, even you have to obey the terms! I want the child, Zimmer, pay up! I've done everything on my end, pay up!" the clone screamed, shutting off the viewscreen. If his master was going to attempt to deny him his payment, then he would deny his master the sight of his nightmare-plagued bride-to-be. "Now!" 

"No," Zimmer replied again, chuckling softly, darkly. "I don't think so. You have done your job, and quite well, I might add. I am very pleased." 

"Then pay up!" 

Zimmer laughed long and loud, "No! You just don't get it do you? I will _never_ pay my end of the contract. I don't do deals with mere clones." 

"You have to! It is a magical contract, one you signed with your own blood, and that I signed with a magical quill! You are bound to the terms of the contract, you _have_ to pay up, or you die!" the clone fairly screamed, waving the rolled up magical parchment under his creator's nose angrily. "Even I know that, you can't trick me into letting you out of the deal!" 

_Little created fool._ "True, true, I can't do _that_," Zimmer admitted with an oily smile. "I'll make another deal with you, Billy-clone. Tell me who the child is. Tell me her name, and she's yours." 

"No! I've already done my part, she's mine _now!_ Take me to Earth, Zimmer!" 

"Tell me who she is, or you die." 

"If you kill me, you'll never find out who she is! And," the clone added with a confident swagger and smile, "you'll have broken the contract. You'll not only lose everything you've worked for, you'll die knowing that you're the one who messed everything up! No, _Master Zimmer, _you don't find out who the child is until you've paid me! I want what I'm due!" 

"Are you sure about that?" the wizard asked dangerously. "Is that your final word on the matter?" 

"Yes!" 

"Well then, I suppose there's only one thing left for me to do then," Zimmer started, flexing his fingers. Billy-clone was smiling victoriously, already dreaming of the things he could do once his prize was in his possession. "Good-bye, my evil creation. You've served your purpose." 

The clone's eyes widened as his creator leveled a hand at him, sickly green-white energy glowing, dancing around his fingertips. "NO!" the clone screamed as the energy lashed out across the room at him, blasting him against the far wall. "You'll never find out who she is if you do this!" the clone warned. Even as he felt himself begin to disintegrate, he still refused to say her name. "How can you do this! It's impossible!" 

"I've not lived this long without having learned a few things along the way, clone," Zimmer growled nastily. "Last chance! Tell me who the child is, and I might let you live." 

The clone howled in pain as his existence crumbled away faster and faster. "NO! You'll still kill me, I know you well enough for that! You don't win this battle Zimmer, I won't tell you her name!" The clone laughed, coughed, then screamed. "You lose this one! You're afraid of her, and I hope she's your worst nightmare! She will be your undoing, and you know it!" he cried out defiantly, even as the contract fell to the floor from his non-existent fingers. 

The evil wizard lowered his hand, stopping his attack for only the barest of seconds, almost seeming to consider the clone's words. In the next moment though, his wicked smile had returned. "You've more than outlived your usefulness to me," Zimmer hissed, raising one hand and pointing it at the clone. Those were the final words that fell on its ears before a jet of green-white flame reduced the magical creation to nothing more than smoke once again, smoke that was swept away by a mystical wind Zimmer easily conjured with a flick of his hand. _And this time, there is nothing and no one that can reconstruct him,_ the wizard king chuckled darkly to himself. _One annoyance out of the way, and I seriously doubt there shall be anymore. No one can stop me now; not that child, not the Rangers, no one!_

"You might have had access to that wimp's genius mind, but you obviously did not use it very well," Zimmer chuckled coldly at the spot where his clone had last existed, and even his bodyguards stepped back at that sound. There was something in his tone now that reeked of pure, cold malice. "Cranston would at least have read the fine print on that contract before signing it. Something you failed to do." Zimmer levitated the charred parchment from where the clone had last stood, drawing it into his cold hand. Zimmer jerked the contract open, staring at the bottom of it with devilishly satisfied eyes. _ This contract can be broken at any point in time that Zimmer Delnas, King and Emperor of the Solvilan Galaxy, chooses and for any reason, or none at all. It is well within his rights to destroy the clone he created of William Cranston, Sapphire Ranger of Earth, at any point that he so desires, by any method that he deems fit._ "You really should have read the fine print." With a darkly gleeful shout, he incinerated the contract, then banished his bodyguards from the throne room. 

He gestured briefly, reactivating the viewscreen to watch as Sheena tossed and turned in the bed. _In my bed,_ he thought warmly. She was already in his bed, though he wasn't with her. _ Yet_, he amended to himself. The magnificent quarters she now graced were his own, at least in this palace. This wasn't the main center of his power in this galaxy, that castle lay somewhere in the outreaches of the oppressed realm. On every world of reasonable size, Zimmer maintained a palace and staff, as well as everything he would need for his spells and incantations. He conducted very few to his imperial palace, and had absolutely no intention of taking Sheena there until after he was sure she was completely under his power. He didn't know how her witch-ways worked exactly, nor if the Rangers weren't looking for some way to free her. Only when he knew the spell had been completely and perfectly cast, with no chance for her to escape it, would he escort her there and have her crowned as his Empress. 

_She will be your undoing, and you know it!_ came back the clone's last words to the evil wizard's mind. Zimmer banished the warning from his thoughts; if the child had ever truly been a major threat to his plans, he was confident he would have felt it himself. All that mattered now was the dark-haired beauty in his viewscreen, tossing and turning helplessly in her painful nightmares, her heart tortured by the hurtful, merciless images. 

"It won't be long now, my dear," Zimmer whispered, watching the object of his dark longings as she sat up suddenly, her heart racing and her eyes wide and streaming tears. "Not long at all." He put on a smile, and went to comfort the young woman who firmly believed him to be her sole true friend, her only friend, in all of the universe.

* * *

The sun rose early on whatever planet they were on, but Tanya Sloan was already awake. She had just barely managed to slip a couple of hours of sleep, or so it felt in the night before, but she hadn't been able to go much more than that. Her thoughts were simply in too much turmoil over what had happened in the past few hours, and far too anxious over was going to happen next. 

_How could I have let this happen? _she berated herself silently. _How could ANY of us have let it happen! We're supposed to be more alert than this! This guy has a spell wrapped around Sheena for almost a full year and none of us NOTICE! How did we not see this! _

She sighed sadly, watching the rosy-pink sun rise, a pinkish orange one peeking over the horizon not far behind it. _ How could we have seen it? The spell of fascination was so subtle, so cunning, that it had taken them until Zimmer made his final strike to realize that anything was wrong at all. I wonder if she felt anything, if she even had a clue, a hint of something wrong._ But even as the Yellow Ranger thought that, she knew that Sheena hadn't. _ If she had, she would have done something about it long before now, she would've asked for help from somebody. _

Tanya glanced behind her as the sounds of people stirring alerted her to the others waking up. Kahva looked a little wild-eyed, but that had been the case ever since that clone had attacked her. _ What did he do that has terrified her so? I want to drag it out of Billy so bad I could throttle him, he saw exactly what that clone did! Sigh. I guess I'll have to stick with our plan, and wait this out, but I feel so helpless, just waiting! There has to be something I can do. _ Tanya made a mental note to look into it as gently as she could. The shy, older woman had always seemed to stir up everyone's protective instincts before, and whatever the clone had done had kicked those instincts up into high gear now. _ She should really talk to someone,_ Tanya thought as she walked over to the others from where she'd been watching the sunrises. _She has to talk! There's a whole lot of pain trapped inside of her right now that she's not admitting to us. I'm not sure she would even admit it to Sheena right now, were she here. If that's the case, if it's something she wouldn't even want to talk to Sheena about, then how on Earth are we supposed to get her to talk? _ But try as she might, Tanya couldn't think of a gentle way to get Kahva to talk about what had happened. _And though I know for a fact that something happened, every time I look at her, I keep having doubts about what she told us yesterday. Why is that, what is wrong with me that I can't completely accept that something happened? More accurately, why do I still find myself doubting all the other things Kahva told us, why am I having such a hard time believing her?_

"Everyone awake?" Jason asked, glancing around. Everyone was on the slightest edge, not knowing what they were to do or what was about to happen. All that they knew was that they would be tested. Just how that would happen... only the Keeper knew. 

"Or a reasonable facsimile thereof," Rocky groaned, sitting up from his 'bed'. It was obvious he wasn't a morning person as he yawned fit to split his face open. As all the others started getting up, Tanya noticed that Billy was just sitting on his bedroll, a dark and shadowed look in his eyes. She winced a little at the thought of what his dreams must have been like during the night. _Kahva's screams woke all of us up for at least a few minutes last night. Did Billy even dare to try and go back to sleep after what happened with her?_ Tanya took a small comfort in that Billy's face showed no signs of bruising from where Kahva had punched him in panic before waking fully. "Does anyone know where the food is?" Rocky asked, his still half-asleep voice breaking into her thoughts. "Or even if there is any?" 

Kat glanced around, and shook her head. "Maybe we have to do some fasting or something, at least until we get back with Sheena?" The Aussie almost jumped to see the sudden looks both Kahva and Billy gave her; looks of gratefulness that she hadn't even hinted at the chance for failure. That possibility was something none of them wanted to think about. 

"Umm, somehow I don't think so, Kat." Tommy's voice drew everyone's attention, his tone holding equal parts wonder and amazement as he stared at a small stand of trees a short distance away. Rocky's jaw hit the ground when he saw several bags of food hanging from the branches. Before any of the others could get over there, he was at them, checking them over hastily for edibility. 

Billy's lips twitched slightly in a faint smile. "I hope he leaves some for us," he said softly. It was the first thing even vaguely resembling a joke that he'd said since the ordeal had started. In varying degrees of silence they all wandered over and started eating from the bags Rocky handed out. As much as they all joked about his appetite, Rocky was also a genuinely generous and kind person, more than one might expect from him. Not realizing how hungry they were until they had eaten some of the small, strange fruits in the bags, the young people soon were eagerly devouring their bags contents, each of which held just enough for one person to have a light breakfast. Everyone was making short work of their bags except for Kahva, whose appetite seemed to have been banished by her nightmares. It was Rocky who finally coaxed her into eating something that resembled a banana, only it tasted a little sweeter, and was more filling. 

"The Quest for the Crystal of Truth will not be an easy one, my young warriors." The voice of the Keeper startled most of them into dropping their various bags when it spoke out of thin air, without any warning whatsoever. Kahva fought back once again the sensation that she had heard the voice somewhere before. _ Forget it, just forget it! It's not important right now, the only thing that matters is getting the Crystal and saving Sheena! _ "Each of you will be faced with trials that challenge your heart, soul, mind, and body. Only your faith, love, knowledge, and courage can see you through all that is to transpire here." 

"And then we'll get the Crystal?" Billy asked, his eyes shining briefly with hope. _I can't wait... Zimmer had better be keeping his hands off Sheena! I hope she smashes a fist into his face so hard..._

His faint hopes were almost dashed by what the Keeper said next. "Once you have passed the trials, then you shall be presented with three questions. If you can answer those questions correctly, and with total honesty, only then shall the Crystal of Truth be yours. Thus has it been passed from Keeper to Keeper in each time of need, so shall it ever be." 

"How do we get started on the trials, and when? Where do we go?" Billy asked quickly, trying to find where the Keeper's voice was coming from. "How long are they going to take? We don't exactly have a lot of time -" 

"Your quest will take as long as it does," came the soft, unnervingly calm voice of the Keeper. "As for the how, when and where. the way will present itself to you. Have faith, young seekers. Have faith." 

"Could you _possibly_ be any more vague!" Billy shouted angrily. But this time, no voice responded, the only sounds that could be heard were those of the wild animals deep within the forest that bordered the shoreline where they had slept. "Keeper? Keeper!" 

"Billy," came Adam's gentle tones from behind him. "Billy, like she said, we have to keep faith. I don't think Zordon would have sent us on this quest, or allowed the Keeper to bring us here if -" 

"Faith? Faith! How am I supposed to have faith in something we don't even know we'll find, much less find in time, if it even exists? How!" 

"Faith is the essence of things unseen, the substance of things hoped for." All eyes turned to Kahva as her voice was heard for the first time that morning. "It's from a church song I learned when I was little, but it's true. Until we pass the trials, and answer the questions, faith is all we have. And if we don't make it." she started, then stared down at the ground, unable to voice their shared fear. "Faith is all we have, Billy. If we lose that, we lose Sheena." 

Billy looked at her long and hard, but Kahva never looked back up at him or the others, instead retreating back into herself yet again. "You're right," Billy finally sighed. "All right then, I'll 'have faith', like the Keeper says. But why does this have to take so long?" 

"Things worth working and sacrificing for, are worth waiting for, are they not, William?" came the Keeper's voice again. "If you rush in, you will not succeed. Patience is a part of the faith you must keep hold of, or that which you seek the most shall slip through your fingers. Your quest shall begin when it begins, and not before. Be ready, my young warriors, for starting the quest is but the prelude to the battle you face for your own truth."

* * *

Klank rushed about his workshop, doing everything within his mechanical power to track down and get all the information about the strange power fluxes and surges that had been recorded on Earth. He winced at the thought of what Mondo would do to him if he didn't find out what the Rangers were up to, if they were up to anything to start with. _They have to be up to something! They have to be, or King Mondo will have my casings for getting him stirred up like this! Sigh. Okay, Klank, get a hold of your bolts and solders here. They ARE up to something, that is the only possible answer for your readings. This really isn't like them, though, _he mused worriedly. _They never attack first, they can't, not with those rules they live by, so surely it can't be that. And they usually don't teleport from and to Earth for mere pleasure._ Yes, there was definitely something going on, and neither Klank nor his master liked mysteries like this. _ What can they possibly be up to? What!_ Klank diligently continued to go over the readings, checking and rechecking every single minute detail. _The answer has to be here, it has to be!_

Surprise coursed through his circuits as suddenly his sensor sweeps began to show clear data, as if some sort of cloaking had been removed. _But I couldn't detect any cloaking, what is going on here?_ Slowly though, with the new information, he began to make a little sense out of the readings that had been coming through fuzzily all day. _Wait a minute, this can't be right! If these readings are correct, the Silver Ranger left Earth alone, or at least without the other Rangers... but the power readings on her are so low, I've never seen them this low. except once before... _

As the realization came crashing in on what this could mean, Klank raced for the throne room. "Master! Master! You're not going to believe this! Master!"

* * *

"All right, what do we do now?" Kat asked as the small group finished up the last of the food quickly and looked around. "Anyone have any ideas?" 

If anyone had any, they weren't saying anything as they drew a little closer together. Tommy was glancing around nervously, Billy had his hands clenched behind his back, obviously thinking about various foul things he wanted to do to Zimmer if and when he got his hands on him. Rocky was trying to clean the last bits of food from between his teeth with an improvised toothpick, Tanya was clenching and unclenching her hands nervously while Adam was preternaturally calm and still. Kahva was just sort of staring into nothing, with Jason keeping a close eye on her, Billy, and Tommy; the three people most likely to snap in this quest. 

"Keeper?" the Red Ranger raised his voice a little. "What do we do now? How do we get going on this?" 

No answer seemed forthcoming as they stood together, uneasily waiting for some sign or hint as to what to do next. "Maybe you should have said 'please'?" Rocky joked tightly. 

"The Keeper did say that everything would happen when it should," Adam added softly, looking all around them intently. "But it would be nice to know what we're supposed to be looking for. Wonder if we should ask about that?" Adam cleared his throat, then quickly queried, "Keeper, what are we supposed to be looking for?" After a few seconds he turned to Tommy sadly. "I'm sorry, I had hoped - " 

"Whoa." Tommy's eyes widened with surprise as he looked over Adam's shoulders. "Guys," he whispered. "I think we've been answered." 

All of them turned in the direction he was looking to see a clear and unblocked path laying out in front of them: a path that had not been there a few moments before. The Keeper's voice sounded at last, telling them what they wanted and needed to know. "Follow the path, young warriors of the Light. Along the way you will find your trials, and at the end, should you reach that far successfully, you will find me... the questions. and the Crystal of Truth." 

Silence fell, and Tommy took a deep breath. "Let's go," was all he said as he started forward. Kat fell in behind with Kahva almost right on her heels, then Adam, with Billy beside his best friend. The others jostled together a little, trying not to look as if they weren't all scared out of their minds. No one said anything as they walked towards the path, every sense on alert, growing more and more nervous with each step they took. 

As soon as her feet touched the path, Kahva gasped, stopping dead in her tracks. "Can any of you feel that?" she breathed, awestruck. 

"Feel what, Kahva?" Jason asked from the end of their rough line, having just stepped on the path himself. 

Her eyes were dancing with an excitement and spark they hadn't seen before, and her face was practically glowing with her discovery. "The _power_. None of you can feel it? Not any of you?" Kahva nearly pleaded with them. Every nerve in her body felt charged, her entire being feeling like a living live wire. "This planet is teeming with some kind of power, I can feel it! It's all around us, above us, below us, beside us - it's everywhere! This planet. I know this is going to sound crazy, but this planet. It's almost like it's alive!" Kahva instinctively reached for Tommy's arm. "Can't any of you feel _anything?_ Something, anything, a tingle -" 

"Alive?" Tommy queried, a now all too familiar doubt coloring his tone ever so slightly. "Kahva, are you sure you aren't overreacting?" Tommy's voice was perfectly calm and even, but the effect on Kahva was as devastating as a hurricane. The light in her eyes was immediately snuffed out, her face dull as she fled back inside herself. "Kahva, yes, this planet is new and strange, and I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but -" 

"Never mind," she muttered, walking away from him and heading back towards the beach. "Forget I said anything." Her next words were soft, not meant to be heard by anyone, but they roared in Tommy's ears nonetheless. "Forget I even came, she should have picked David instead." 

Tommy silently cursed himself as Jason caught the young woman's arm, preventing her from leaving the path or the group. _There I go again, doubting what she's saying, when I should be at least considering it! Tommy Oliver, what is wrong with you!_ A slight chill ran down his spine as he saw his own small doubting of Kahva mirrored on Kat, Tanya and Adam's faces. _What have I done, now they don't believe her either! Tommy, get a grip, you're supposed to be the leader of this group, act like it! _ Quickly, he moved over to apologize to Kahva, instructing her to tell him if the power she was sensing changed in any way. A small nod was all he could get out of her, though. Where moments before she had been looking at him straight in the eyes, eyes dancing with discovery and excitement, now she wouldn't raise her head up to look at him or anyone else._ Way to go Tommy, way to go. Great leader you've turned out to be!_ Tommy mentally shook himself, trying to clear his doubts and shore up his resolve to stop doubting Kahva, or anyone else for that matter. _Might as well get on with this, standing around doing nothing isn't going to get us anywhere. Maybe I'll get lucky and I won't be tested after all, maybe there won't be a trial for each one of us. I hope that's how it will end up, because if I have to pass a trial right now, I'm sure I'll fail. and we'll lose Sheena to Zimmer forever. I'll never forgive myself if we lose her because of me. _

But the Keeper's words kept haunting him: _"Each of you will be faced with trials that challenge your heart, soul, mind, and body. Only your faith, love, knowledge, and courage can see you through all that is to transpire here." _ Tommy frowned inwardly as he led the group down the path. _ Kahva is right about that David should have been picked. but not in place of her. He should have been picked in place of me._

The planet, whatever its name was, was beautiful beyond compare, almost innocently seductive with its beauty. A crystal blue sky arched overhead, totally free of pollution from horizon to horizon and far beyond. Pure ivory-white clouds floated by, touched gently by glistening golden sunlight, with emerald-green grass covering every free inch of ground, along with fragrant flowers and the soft tinkling of a stream nearby. _Paradise?_ Tommy wondered, as he noticed the group as a whole slowly starting to relax, even beginning to slightly enjoy the scene that lay before them. It would have been the perfect place for a carefree picnic or a blissful walk with the whole team. 

Tommy shook his head a little as he walked along the path, following it mindlessly, becoming oblivious to the tranquil beauty surrounding them all. With every step he made, he couldn't seem to get his mind off what was going on between the members of their rag-tag team. He tried to think only of the quest, of finding the Crystal and making everything right again. Instead, his mind kept returning to how carelessly he had brushed Kahva's fears off, of how he'd simply been having a good time at the carnival instead of looking for Sheena or Billy, not realizing just how badly things were going wrong. 

"Tommy, which way do we go?" Kat's voice suddenly broke into his mind. 

"What?" Tommy looked at her, confused. Then he saw what she was asking about. Right in front of him the path split into two; one easy, smooth, well-marked; the other rough, rugged and steep. "Keeper?" Tommy questioned to the air, hoping for guidance, but none came. 

"Maybe this is part of how we're to be tested, by how well we can find our way?" Rocky guessed. 

"It may be," Tommy mused, looking at the two paths. "Let's take this one," he decided, choosing the smooth path. "I don't trust the looks of that other one. I think it's too rough for us to tackle right now," he finished, trying hard not to rest his gaze on Kahva as he said that. He was fairly sure the others could handle the rough terrain, but he didn't think she could, not in her current state. 

The glare she shot at him let him know how badly he'd failed at concealing his concern, but Kahva said nothing until she stepped onto the easy path. "No... Tommy, we can't take this one," she said urgently, rushing up to the head of the group to stop him. "It's _wrong."_

"Why?" he asked, all the doubts springing up again in spite of his earlier promise to himself not to doubt her or anyone else outright. "Why is this path wrong?" _Don't dismiss her, don't dismiss her._ he told himself, trying to dam up the stream of doubt washing through his mind yet again. 

Kahva sighed in exasperation, "I know you don't believe me about the planet being magical, but it is, Tommy. We _all_ saw how the trail just suddenly appeared at the beach," she began. "You can't deny that was at least mystical, if not magical. I'm still feeling the power, magic, whatever it is, I'm still feeling it here. But right here, on this path, the magic feels wrong. Dark, if you will." The older girl nearly cried in frustration as she saw the doubt wash over Tommy's face in spite of her efforts to convince him. "Look, you said to tell you if what I was sensing changed, and it has! This path is wrong!" 

"Look Kahva," Tommy began softly, "You're a bit overwrought right now with everything that's happened, and I don't blame you one bit. But this path is easier, more open, smoother. And, if there is anyone or anything that can harm us, we can see it in plenty of time on this path," he assured her. "Don't worry, we'll be okay." 

"Tommy's right," Kat pitched in. "And now that you've sensed a change in the 'magic', or whatever it is that you're sensing here, we'll be on better guard." Adam and Tanya both nodded their agreement readily, while Rocky, Jason and Billy gave theirs much more hesitantly. 

Kahva opened her mouth as if to protest, then resolutely headed down the path in the lead herself. "Kahva, what are you doing!" Tommy called, rushing to catch up with her. 

"This path is wrong, whether you want to believe it or not. I don't know why you won't listen to me anymore, or even notice that not everyone is following you as quickly as Kat, or even as fast as Adam and Tanya for that matter. But if this is where you want to go, then this is where we're going," she finished, not slowing down in the least. 

"But I need to be in the lead, I'm in charge until we get Sheena back," Tommy protested, having a surprisingly hard time keeping up with the girl. "You -" 

"I'm your guinea pig," Kahva tossed flatly over her shoulder. "I'm not going to let you or anyone else get hurt by whatever is wrong here, whether you like it or not. I'm taking the lead now, so whatever it is, I'll trip it first, and then you guys can get away from it in time," she told him firmly. "And if it turns out I'm wrong, you can call me stupid to my face, and not have to hide what you think of me any longer just because you're trying to spare my 'overwrought' feelings!" 

"Kahva, you're not stupid, I never said that!" Tommy started, but the older girl refused to look back at him or stop in her determined charge down the trail. _What are you trying to prove!_ Tommy wanted to scream, but remained silent, concentrating instead on staying right on her heels. _At least with her in front of me, I can keep an eye on her. Why am I still doubting her though? Why couldn't I stop myself from doubting her, what is wrong with me!_ The questions kept echoing inside his mind, stoking his self-directed anger, setting his rage to a high boil. 

"Tommy," Billy rushed up to him then, stopping him in his tracks. "Let's go back and take the other path. If Kahva sensed something wrong here, then we probably shouldn't be here." 

"And take that torture test of a trail?" the Red Ranger retorted hotly, his anger finally finding a release and target in the Sapphire Ranger. "She wouldn't be able to make it! Billy, we've all got to make it through these trials if we're going to get Sheena back, and getting someone hurt on a trail that they're not cut out for isn't going to do it!" 

"How do you know she can't make it?" Jason questioned softly, having run up to them in time to hear Tommy's words. The whole group had stopped on the trail now, even Kahva, who was several feet ahead of everyone else by that time. "She might surprise you." 

"And what if she 'senses' dark magic, or something wrong with that trail too?" Tommy asked tightly, his rage finding a new target in Jason. "Then we still have to take the path we can get down the fastest, or we won't get through everything in time to get to Sheena!" Whirling away and throwing his arms up in hot frustration, he demanded, "Why is everyone suddenly questioning and doubting me all of a sudden!" 

"Doesn't feel too good, does it?" Rocky put in quietly, then looked at Kahva. The older girl kept quiet, staying out of the heated discussion entirely, refusing to look at any of them in the eye. "Look, you're the leader Tommy, and we'll follow you. But you're not listening to the _team._ That's all of us here, Ranger and non-Ranger, we're all in this together. Maybe you're right about this path, but still, you can't be so quick to dismiss what you're told." 

"Rocky," Tommy growled softly, "_Don't_ tell me how to lead!" The tension between the former and current Red Rangers was palpable as they suddenly found themselves squaring off with each other. Jason immediately stepped between them, ready to take a blow from either one to keep them from hurting each other, when Tommy's shoulders abruptly slumped, "I already know what I have to do." With that, he jogged up to where Kahva was waiting for the group to decide what they were going to do. "We'll check the other path." 

"Don't do something just on my account," Kahva muttered under her breath as Tommy approached her. Her voice, though plainly holding some anger, was primarily full of hurt and pain. _She wants to help, to be believed in so badly, and here I am shutting her out more and more, _Tommy thought as he came up to her. _ I haven't attacked her like the clone did, but the pain I'm causing is just as bad. and just as undeserved._

"I heard that," he replied. "And I'm not doing it just for you." Tommy sighed, then put a gentle arm around her shoulders, tilting her chin up with his free hand to make her look at him. "I'm doing it for the team, and that means you too, and I'm doing it for me. Kahva, I don't know why I'm acting the way I am around you, but I should have listened to you before we started down this path. We need to check the other trail, then figure out which one to take." _I just hope I haven't screwed up too badly and lost us too much time. _

"Are you sure?" Kahva asked cautiously, somehow keeping her voice perfectly neutral. But her dark brown eyes showed her fear of betrayal all too clearly, knifing through Tommy's heart with the ease of a well-sharpened katana. The young woman's voice fell soft, sad, as the spark of determination to protect her friends washed out of her face disturbingly fast, self-doubt flooding into its place with a vengeance. "Tommy, I never wanted to make you guys mad at each other, I shouldn't have said anything, you _are_ the leader -" 

"Shhhh." Tommy silenced her with a lightly placed finger against her lips. "You did exactly what I told you to do," he assured her. "And it's exactly what you should have done even if I hadn't told you to do it. I'm the one who's being bull-headed right now, forgive me? Please?" Kahva's shy nod lifted Tommy's spirits a tiny bit. "And Kahva? If I dismiss you again for no reason whatsoever. do me a favor? Slap me?" 

A soft chuckle and a slight, joking smile told him all was forgiven, but the doubting looks on Kat, Adam and Tanya's faces sent chills down his spine. _It's not just me, they're still doubting her, regardless of what I've said or just done. Something's wrong with us. _ Guilt washed over Tommy's heart, crushing it as he and Kahva approached the others. _I've done something to them, I've led them wrong, and now they doubt Kahva as well. What have I done to all of us? _ "Guys, I -" 

"Tengas!" Adam yelled, pointing back the way where Tommy and Kahva had come. 

"They're behind us too!" Rocky shouted, as the powerless Rangers and Kahva were surrounded instantly. "Kahva was right, it's a trap!" 

_Oh God, what have I done! _ "Form up!" Tommy commanded sharply, putting Kahva in the midst of their number. "Stay inside the circle, Kahva!" 

"No problem!" she called back to him, just barely escaping from the arms of two Tengas who had swooped down out of the trees. Angry at having lost their intended prey, the evil birds turned on Tommy in mid-dive and tackled him to the ground. Three more joined in and quickly overpowered the Red Ranger. "Tommy!" both Kahva and Kat screamed, both girls jumping on the Tengas themselves, ignoring the risk to their own safety. 

_We're in trouble and it's all my fault! _ "Kat, Kahva, get away, they'll get you too!" Tommy yelled as he kicked and punched his captors viciously. _I may not have the power to morph, but I'm still a fighter! _

"Forget it!" Kahva and Kat both shouted again in unison, tearing two Tengas off of Tommy. "Leave him alone!" Kat growled at a third, as she and Kahva both struggled with the evil creature trying to pummel Tommy. 

"We're surrounded!" came Tanya's yell above the din. Everyone was struggling with two or three Tengas, and more could be heard approaching from further up the trail. 

"Hey, everybody!" came Jason's voice abruptly. "I've got the Crystal of Truth!" 

Several things happened all at once then. Everyone froze in shock for a second, every eye glued on Jason. Punches were frozen in mid-air, kicks were halted. Defensive blocks were forgotten, but unneeded, for the Tengas had stopped their attacks. As one, they all turned and looked hard at the Gold Ranger, then in the next second they were flying and running towards him in a mass of arms, legs and scattering feathers. The other Rangers and Kahva suddenly had no one to fight or escape from, as the Tengas were focused totally on Jason. "You can't catch me!" he gloated in a sing-song voice before heading deep into the trees. 

"JASON!" Tommy screamed as his friend disappeared. Scrambling to his feet, he started to charge into the forest himself, but was pulled up short by Adam and Rocky. "Let me go!" 

"And lose both of you in there? No way!" Adam declared. 

"We don't know where Jason is, we can't run in there blindly!" Rocky eased his grip on Tommy's arm a bit. "Besides, I think Jason's got a plan here." 

"What, getting himself captured!" 

"No, distracting the Tengas and buying us some time. Remember, we don't have the Crystal of Truth yet... but the Tengas don't know that," Billy smiled tightly. "I think Jason's trying to get them lost in the trees hunting for the Crystal." 

"And while they're lost," Tommy finished, calming down enough to see the plan, "that gives us time to get to the other path and put some distance between them and ourselves. Sneaky," he nodded, his smile matching Billy's. _Very risky, but a good plan, assuming the Tengas are here for the Crystal, which from the way they took off after Jason, they must be. Why didn't I think of it? Instead of thinking of a way to get us out of this attack, all I did was get my butt kicked!_

"Go get it boys!" came Jason's voice from somewhere in the woods, a wild caphony of Tengas crashing through the trees and eagerly squawking drowning out anything else the Gold Ranger might have shouted. A minute or two later, a different, singular crashing sounded close to the path. Before anyone could react, Jason stumbled out of the woods and back onto the path, small twigs and leaves tangled up in his hair and clothing. He was also wearing a breathless, but triumphant lopsided grin. "They may be tougher than Rita or Zedd's old Putties, but they're still just as stupid!" As he ran over to the group, he gasped out, "I threw a rock and they're chasing after it, they think it's the Crystal, at least for now." Taking a deep breath, he finished, "May I suggest we get the heck out of Dodge and hit that other path before they figure out what's happened?" 

"Let's go," Tommy agreed, and the group set out on a quick run as one back down the path to where the original fork had been. Once there, Kahva immediately went to the rougher path first, cautiously stepping on it, then closing her eyes, seeming to almost be listening for something. "Kahva?" 

She answered him after several long seconds, "It's okay, I don't sense anything dark on this path. Doesn't mean it's safe, but I don't sense any dark power or magic here." 

"Then let's go," Tommy ordered, not wanting the group to stop moving any longer than they had to. As they hiked along, Tommy once again taking the lead, he was surprised at how much easier this path was than it had appeared to be at first glance. The terrain was rugged, and they were on a constant incline, but the footing was better than he had expected, and the trail wider than it had appeared at first glance. After several minutes of fast-paced trekking, he called for a halt to let everyone, including himself, catch their breath. _I should have listened to Kahva to start out with,_ he thought to himself as the team found places to sit and catch a brief rest. _ And I should have thought of a way to get us out of that fight, we'd all be prisoners now if not for Jason's quick thinking. I've failed the team, I've failed as a leader, and I've failed Sheena._

Tommy sat down dejectedly as the events of the past hours all replayed back in his mind: Billy's capture and replacement, Kahva's fears and the clone's attack on her, then Sheena's giving up of her crystal and subsequent leaving with Zimmer Delnas. Finally, the ambush they had just barely survived played back, and Tommy's heart sank. _It's all my fault, _he sighed to himself. _All of it... I should've known what was going on. I've been the leader before, I've been the target so many times, I should've known it was happening! Instead, we're trapped in this quest that is the only way to rescue Sheena, and I've blown it right at the start! If any one of us gets something wrong, she's with Zimmer forever. Now I've ruined our chances for the Crystal, I'm sure of it! Zimmer Delnas. Why didn't I figure out that he wasn't a friend to us sooner? Why!_

Cold chills were running all over his body, centering somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. _I should have known. But that's just like me, to miss the obvious. I've screwed up everything from day one, when I moved to Angel Grove. Rita picked me to ruin the team and it looks like I finally have. Took me a few years, but it looks like I finally did it. Looks like the only thing I'm a true success at is destruction..._

"Tommy?" he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Kat's voice right next to his ear. "Tommy, is something wrong? You look like you're troubled about something -" 

He couldn't have stopped the next words out of his mouth if he had tried. "I'm thinking that it's my fault that Sheena is in this situation, and we're in ours. If I hadn't made her leader, if I hadn't forgotten that just about anything is possible when you're a Ranger, even someone you think is your friend being your enemy, this wouldn't be happening, none of it. It's all my fault, and now we probably won't get the Crystal because of my mistakes. Everything is my fault, Kat." 

Kat stared at her boyfriend in shock. "Tommy, it's not your fault! It's none of our faults!" She missed the quick flash of and guilt in Kahva's eyes as those words were uttered. "Tommy, please, you have to believe me, none of this is your fault!" The entire group came to their feet as Tommy leaned against a tree dejectedly, his shoulders literally slumping in defeat and pain. 

"Yes, it is," he replied quietly. "We shouldn't be here! We should be back on Earth, keeping it safe from Mondo, and anyone else who tries to harm our world. But we're not, we have to go rescue Sheena, because _I_ wasn't good enough to figure out Zimmer was plotting against us the whole time. There were a thousand different signs, and I missed out on all of them! I don't deserve to be on this team!" 

Rocky's eyes narrowed as he studied the Red Ranger, then he shivered uncontrollably. "Something tells me we're right in the thick of the first trial," he said, just loudly enough for it to be heard. He took a long breath, and walked over to Tommy. "Yes you do deserve to be on this team, Tommy. You haven't done anything wrong. It wasn't your fault." 

"Rocky's right," Billy agreed, coming over to his friend. "If anyone is responsible, it's Zimmer. He's the one who started this whole thing. You're right, we should be on Earth, and as soon as we get Sheena back, that's where we're going." 

The Red Ranger shook his head, still blaming himself harshly. "But we should never have had to leave it!" 

"You're right, Tommy," Kahva spoke up quietly. As the Red Ranger looked up at her, he saw not blame or accusation, but empathy, compassion, and understanding. "But we did have to leave Earth, and the sooner we get back there, the better. The best way to do that is to get the Crystal of Truth, and get to wherever Sheena is." 

"This is no one's fault but Zimmer's," Adam put a hand firmly on Tommy's shoulder. "Kahva's right, we're all right. It's not your fault. None of us knew what was going on at the carnival, and we maybe should have, true. I know we should have believed Kahva when she told us about how odd Billy... or rather the clone we thought was Billy was acting. I still don't know why we didn't believe her, but that's something we'll have to deal with later. As much as I'd like to figure it all out right here and now, we can't. We simply don't have the time." Adam had both of his hands on Tommy's shoulders by now, in an effort to ensure Tommy's full attention. "The only person to blame here is Zimmer for starting the whole mess in the first place." 

Tommy stared at the faces gathered around him, each and every one firm in the resolve they believed in so deeply. "I screwed up," he whispered softly. "I should never have made Sheena leader, that just got her in the line of fire..." 

"You didn't screw up," Kat disagreed gently. "Zimmer would have done this no matter what. Her leadership had nothing to do with it, and neither does the fact she's a Ranger. Think about it, Tommy," Kat pleaded. "If he had wanted her Ranger powers, he wouldn't have made her mad enough to leave them behind, right? He wants _her,_ God only knows why, and not a Ranger. You didn't screw up, Tommy." 

_She's right, they're all right... _The Red Ranger took a long breath, slowly letting it out, sending out his self-doubts and guilt with it. "I didn't screw up," he whispered softly. "I didn't screw up. I made the right choices in the past; when I was leader of the Rangers, and when I stepped down to make Sheena the leader. Yes, I've made many mistakes in the past, and I'll make them in the future. Everyone does." 

Tommy's eyes began to shine with awareness and truth, as the guilt he'd been carrying around was finally dealt with and laid to rest. "The only crime in making a mistake is if you don't learn from it. We may have made a few mistakes in what has happened in the past hours, maybe not. If we haven't we're going to fix what's wrong. If we have made a mistake, we're still going to put things right, no matter what it takes. We are going to put it right. I'm not to blame for what's happened, none of us are. Zimmer is the one who's made the mistake here, and we are going to set things right!" 

As the words fell from his lips, he felt a warmth surge into his heart that displaced the cold, fear, blame and guilt he hadn't been able to let go of until this moment. His faith restored in himself, his head and shoulders both lifted higher. "We are going to do it," he repeated, louder. "We are."

* * *

Tanya was slowly falling to the back of the group as they got going again. The trail seemed to lead to a beautiful mountain, and all of them hoped that there they would find the Keeper and the Crystal of Truth. Nearly everyone was eager and anxious, and it was rather hard to tell what excited everyone most: the thought that the mountain may be their ultimate goal, or Tommy's success. After Tommy had conquered his trial, Kat had given him a warm hug, and everyone had congratulated him, happy at his and their first success. Even Kahva had actually hugged him in congratulations, seeming more like her old self for a few all too short moments. But after Tommy had quickly assigned everyone to their places in line, Kahva withdrew into her self again, appearing less and less inclined to talk with anyone as they started hiking again. Her face said it plainly: she was scared to death that her trial was going to be next, and whatever it may be, she didn't want to face it any sooner than she had to. Not even Tommy asking Billy and Jason to both second-guess him if it seemed he was doubting anything Kahva reported or said pulled her out of her shell. 

_I think I know how she must feel here,_ the Yellow Ranger thought, brushing her hair out of her eyes. _Practically alone, even in a crowd, no one to talk to who really understands her... I was like that back in Africa, and again when I first got to Angel Grove. The only people I'd really been close to were gone, my parents. I lost them. then when I had the chance to do something REALLY incredible with my life, I turned it down to stay a Ranger. I could've been a singer. famous. And then I found my parents again, but I can't spend time with them like I want. Between their expeditions and my duties as a Ranger, it's almost like I never found them to begin with!_

She sighed softly to herself, not wanting the others to hear her or suspect her sad mood. _ I've missed out on so much because I've cared about other things more, and I've just flat out LOST so much. I've lost my parents, I've lost my chance to go somewhere with my music, I've lost the normal life I had to the life of a Ranger.. I could've gotten it back, but I chose to stay with my friends, I was so selfish about losing them. but to go would've been selfish too, I would've been backing out on my responsibilities. Either way, I lost something again._

Tanya glanced up, thinking to see Adam in front of her, hoping he would talk with her about how she was feeling. Her heart skipped a beat, then froze in fear, as instead she saw Sheena struggling against several Cogs, with Klank hovering nearby with a syringe full of the hideously green mind control potion. Her jaw dropped at the memory, literally playing out in front of her, real as life. _How can this be happening, what is going on!_ Just as the syringe touched Sheena's skin, the image shifted, becoming this time Tommy hanging off the side of the mountain the Power Chamber was in, trying desperately to keep himself from falling to certain doom. Then things changed again and she saw Daniel, his eyes cold and flat like an evil beast, seizing Sheena's arms, dragging her off to Klank's lab on the Machine SkyBase. Next was Billy, spinning wildly off towards the sun on his way back from Aquitar, coming so close to death... 

"No!" She backed away, trying to block the endless visions of all the times she had nearly lost someone she loved. She saw Jason being turned into a solid gold statue by the Midas Hound, Kahva and Daniel being kidnapped by Shifter, her own parents almost crushed by the falling of the cavern on Mysterio Island. "No, not again! Not again, go away! Leave me alone, please!" 

"Tanya?" Adam turned around when he heard her screaming, and his eyes widened to see her backing away, her hands held out in fear, and her eyes round with shock. "Guys, I think we've got trouble." 

Almost in lockstep, the entire team stopped and turned as Adam spoke. "One right after the other," Rocky groaned lightly. "Aren't we going to get a break?" In the next second, Rocky regretted what he'd said, throwing an apologetic look to Billy. "Sorry," he said quickly. "The sooner we get through all of these, the sooner we'll get Sheena back, I know. But I'd kinda hoped we'd get a little bit of peace between the trials." The Sapphire Ranger nodded in understanding, then hurried over to Tanya. 

"I've lost so much," the Yellow Ranger whispered, obviously not seeing them or hearing them. "How can I lose again? I lost my parents, I lost my friends, I lost my chance to go into music. so much. so much. I can't lose any more, I can't." 

Adam bit his lip and frowned. _Tommy faced his fear of failing his friends, Tanya must be facing her fear of loss, of losing everything that's meant anything to her. She lost her parents for years, left behind everything she knew to come join the team, gave up her chance to become a singer to stay with us. _ "You can't lose us, Tanya," he said, reaching out swiftly to take her hand. "You can't ever lose us, even if you leave the team someday." 

He wasn't certain if she heard him or not, but she did flinch away from his touch suddenly. "No, Adam," she whispered. "Leave him alone, you stupid machines! Don't mess with him!" Whatever she was seeing had to do with him, and he moved suddenly to fold her in his arms, a display of emotion he would almost never have done, if so much hadn't been at stake. 

"Tanya," he whispered, hoping to get through to her. "You -" 

KABOOM! An ear-splitting explosion deafened them all, followed in the next heartbeat by a shaking that sent them all to their knees. "What's going on!" Jason shouted, helping Kat and Kahva to their feet. 

"Volcano!" Tommy shouted above the roar, pointing up the trail. All of them could see clearly now a volcano spewing fire, lava, and half-molten rock high into the air. Small flaming rocks began to rain down all around, narrowly missing them as the number of burning hot missiles quickly began to increase in number and size. "We need to get to shelter!" he cried as trees began to fall around them, some felled by the continuous quaking of the ground, others by the ever-increasing rain of hot rock. 

"There!" Billy yelled, pointing to a spot off of the trail, the way to it almost neatly lined by some of the stricken trees. "The way is clear, and I see a cave! Run!" 

The team of young people needed no further urging as they all began to make a stumbling run towards the cave. Adam practically dragged Tanya along, as she still seemed lost in her awful visions. "Everybody get into the cave!" Tommy shouted, right as another powerful quake sent them all to the ground again. Adam lost his precious hold on Tanya, and she immediately started to run back the way they had come. 

"TANYA!" Adam screamed, separately trying to get to his feet in the increasing quake to chase after his girlfriend. "Tanya, come back, please!" 

"I'll get her!" Kahva shouted from the end of the line, stretching her hand out to grab Tanya's arm as she ran by. "Got her!" 

"Kahva, watch out!" Billy yelled in fear, as suddenly the ground heaved, shooting them up into the air nearly a hundred feet by creating a new steep hill from the ground he and the others were standing on. Tanya and Kahva were instantly cut off from them. "Kahva! Tanya!" Billy started to try to scale down the sheer earthen wall from the now plateau he and the rest of the team were on, when the full fury of the eruption railed angrily, sending huge flaming boulders at them. 

"The cave!" Jason shouted, yanking Billy away from the edge a second before a hot boulder plowed into the spot where the Sapphire Ranger had been. "We have to wait this out!" he told his friend. Hoping that the girls could hear him, he called over the edge, "Get Tanya to shelter somewhere, we'll find you when the eruption is over!" 

Any answer from Kahva or Tanya was lost in the volcano's horrible roar, as the six young people hurtled into the safety of the cave, only to be sealed in moments later by several burning boulders. "We're trapped!" Kat cried out, then coughed as a choking smoke and sulfur-like smell began to fill the cave. 

"This isn't a normal eruption," Billy choked out. "Volcanoes on Earth just don't blow like that!" 

"But we're not on Earth," Adam coughed mournfully. "At least we're safe in here, Kahva and Tanya are out there in that mess!" 

"We're safe for now," Billy coughed, leading the group deeper into the cave. "But those fumes are going to overpower us if we can't find another way out!" 

"What about Kahva and Tanya? I think Tanya was still seeing that vision out there, she has no clue as to what's going on! What's going to happen to them?" Kat asked before a coughing fit wracked her body. 

No one dared to voice their common fear as they felt their way deeper into the cave: that it may already be too late for their friends.

* * *

Kahva had no idea if she had been out for hours or seconds. The only thing she was sure of was that she had a splitting headache... and that she was utterly alone. Several yards in front of her was the newly-born cliff, at the top of which were her friends, and presumably, the cave. "Where did that volcano come from, I know I didn't see that before..." she wondered aloud, carefully picking herself off of the ground. "Tanya - Tanya?" she called, looking around frantically for the Yellow Ranger. "Tanya! Tanya, where are you? Answer me, please - Tanya!" she yelled, spying the unmoving girl. 

"A - Adam?" the Yellow Ranger mumbled from several feet away from Kahva, half buried under charred tree limbs. "Adam?" 

"Tanya, snap out of it!" Kahva commanded harshly, fearing the worst as she began to frantically yank the branches off of her friend. "What ever you're seeing happening to Adam, it's not true! You have to wake up!" 

"I _am_ awake," Tanya moaned, struggling to get up. "It was all so real... Where is everybody, what happened?" As Kahva quickly filled her in, Tanya found herself full of doubts at the story. "A volcano erupted? But we never saw a volcano, there was a mountain in front of us, how could there suddenly be a volcano there?" 

As soon as she said them, Tanya wanted to bite back the words. _ As much as I'm doubting her right now, part of me knows that she's telling the truth. It's not just Tommy who's doubting her, it's me too. What is wrong with us? Oh please don't let Kahva clam up because of what I just said, I need her help to find the others, we all need her!_

Fortunately, Kahva seemed to take Tanya's question as simply that, a question, not as doubting. "I know, I clearly remember the mountain too. I wonder..." her voice trailed off as she finally freed Tanya and helped her to her feet. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." Kahva darted down to the trail and looked towards the way they had been heading before Tanya's visions and the eruption. "Ummm... Tanya? Can you make it down here? You're not going to believe this unless you see it yourself. I'm not sure _I_ believe it!" 

"What is it?" the Yellow Ranger asked as she made her way down to the trail. Then she saw what Kahva was staring at: the volcano was stopped in mid-eruption, an enormous boulder at its mouth, about to be hurtled into the air. "How on Earth... This can't be happening! Volcanoes don't do this!" 

Kahva shivered suddenly, rubbing her arms. "What's wrong Kahva, has the magic changed or something?" Tanya asked worriedly. At that moment, Tanya couldn't help but be struck with just how much alike Kahva and Sheena looked, and at the same time how different they were. _ Flip sides of a coin, except that they are more like each other than that. But she looks so much like her... If I didn't know better, I would swear they were blood sisters! _ A shiver coursed through Tanya then as an awful thought ran through her mind. _If Zimmer was attracted to Sheena because of her looks. Could he go after Kahva one day too? _ Tanya forced herself to stay calm as she watched Kahva, fearful of what her answer might be. 

"No, it's not the magic, or energy," Kahva frowned holding her head, her brow furrowed both in concentration and evident pain. "I'm not actually seeing the others, but I'm getting Billy and Tommy's fear and worry. About us, about how they're going to get free - oh no!" Kahva cried, as she realized what must have happened. "Tanya! The others, I think they must be trapped in the cave up there!" she pointed to the rugged plateau back behind them. "We have to get them out of there!" 

"Can you shift us into them?" Tanya asked, quickly taking Kahva's hand, ready to rescue her friends. 

"I - I... I can't see where they are," Kahva moaned dejectedly, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I can't even talk to Billy or Tommy in the link, all I can get are their fears, and that's seriously muffled. It's like the link we all have is fading away, and fast." Kahva blinked back the tears of frustration that threatened to spill from her eyes. "All I know is that they're up there, somewhere, and we've got to get them out!" Then she brightened up with a sudden hope. "Maybe I can at least shift us up to the top." 

"Do that," Tanya urged, a sense of dread clawing at her own heart. "I've got a bad feeling about them up there." Tanya watched as Kahva closed her eyes and concentrated, her face once again crossed with pain. _Something's wrong, she can open portals much easier than this!_

"Tanya! It hurts!" Kahva cried, clutching her head. "My head..." 

Tanya held the older girl close, fiercely burying any lingering doubts she had about what Kahva was saying. _I'm not going to doubt her, I'm not! This isn't something she'd lie about, I know that! Like Tommy, I don't know what's making me doubt her, but I'm not going to give in to it!_ "Take a deep breath Kahva, try to relax. Don't push it." After a few moments Kahva's pain eased a bit, but try as she might, her head hurt too much to concentrate on forming the portal. "You can try again later, right now we need to find another way to them. Maybe we can climb up, let's try to find a place where we can get some good footholds." 

"Okay," Kahva nodded carefully, rubbing her temple. "I'm sorry, I must've hit my head on something when the ground shot up." 

Carefully picking her way around the still smoldering boulders, Tanya replied, "Either that, or something hit you. Maybe one of these rocks hit you, or a tree branch?" Kahva shrugged her shoulders and silence reigned for long moments as they anxiously searched the base of the cliff for a way up to the top. "Here, there's almost a path up to the top, looks like," Tanya finally broke the silence, once at the back of the earthen obstacle. 

Kahva snorted and gave a short, dry laugh. "If that's your idea of a path, I'd hate to see your climbing footholds!" But she resolutely joined Tanya on her 'path', which was not much more than half a foot wide at the best, littered with rocks and cracks, all perfect for tripping someone, sending them crashing back down to the ground below. "I hate heights, I hate heights..." Kahva muttered under her breath as they got closer and closer to the top. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not all that crazy about them either." 

"You're kidding! I didn't think you were afraid of anything, Tanya! Well, not anything like heights, I mean," Kahva grinned up to her. "Intergalactic monsters, evil overlords and wizards fall into a fright category all their own, you know?" 

"That they do," Tanya laughed, pleased to hear some of Kahva's old humor creeping back into her voice. _Maybe she's finally getting back to normal? I sure hope so, maybe we'll be able to get her to talk to us about everything that happened at the carnival once this is over, then!_

"Are we there yet, Mom?" Kahva called up to Tanya after several minutes of hiking, climbing, careful jumping, and at times, even more careful crawling. 

Tanya grinned at the half-joke. "Almost daughter, be patient." _We're joking. So much like what she and Sheena would do. Sheena. I've lost more than a close friend, I've lost the only thing Kahva has left in this world that is anything like family. I know Zordon is her father, one of them at least, but they hardly know each other yet. I don't know if Kahva can even think of him as her father yet. But Sheena. Sheena is her sister, as surely as if they had been born that way. I've lost everything, and now I've made someone else lose everything! I've failed, and I'm going to fail my trial! _ Tanya reached the top then, and pulled herself onto the plateau. "Made it!" she called down to the girl. "And I think I've just spotted an entrance to the cave, it looks blocked up, but I'm sure we'll have them out of there in no time! Just a little more, Kahva, you're almost here!" 

"Thank goodness!" Kahva gasped, gratefully taking Tanya's outstretched hand, hauling herself onto the plateau with the Ranger's help. "I don't care how much my head is hurting, when we leave this plateau, I'm shifting us!" she declared breathlessly. 

"Too late for that!" shouted two female voices, both all too familiar to both girls. "Say good-bye, wimp!" came one of them alone, a mere second before twin rays of a sickly yellow hue blasted into the ground at Kahva and Tanya's feet. 

"TANYA! I'm falling!" Kahva screamed in terror, toppling over the edge as the ground disintegrated beneath her feet, dropping out of Tanya's sight in an instant. 

"Good-bye and good riddance to bad rubbish!" came the singular voice again, laughing in delight. 

"KAHVA!" Tanya yelled, flinging herself to the edge of the plateau, desperately searching down the rugged cliffside for her friend. But all she could see was the ground far below, which now seemed miles away. "Aisha, how could you! You've killed her!" Tanya railed, turning back fiercely on her predecessor. "You used to be a Ranger, how could you kill an innocent!" 

"Oh get a life, loser! As if you even know what it really means to be a Power Ranger! I should never have sent you back to the Command Center with _my_ Zeo Crystal shard!" Aisha Campbell spat back. 

"Or," spoke the pretty Asian girl beside her, "Billy should have taken the shard from you. He's strong, I think could have handled being both the Yellow Ranger, and the Sapphire. Though now that I know the origins of the colors, Billy would probably been blue anyway, along with Rocky." Trini Kwan stepped over closer to Tanya then, walking all around her, staring her up and down with disgust. "At the very least, he could have kept it safe for a much more deserving, and better owner." 

"Yeah, _I_ could've come back once time was turned back right and reclaimed it. And I wouldn't have lost the whole reformed Zeo Crystal to start with to Goldar and Rito like you did." Aisha joined Trini then in the predatory circling of the current Yellow Ranger. 

"Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you what I think of what you did," Trini growled. "I _hate_ you!" she yelled, punching Tanya in the jaw. "It's because of you that the Command Center was blown up, and it's because of you that my Billy got hurt! You lost the Zeo Crystal, you lost the Command Center, and you made the Rangers lose a valuable member when Billy felt sorry for you and stepped down! It's all your fault, you can't keep a hold of anything!" 

"You've lost your boyfriend now," Aisha laughed harshly. "And the whole team. Now you've lost that crybaby wimp!" 

"Not that losing _her_ is any great loss," Trini sneered. "Admit it, you haven't believed a single thing she'd said since you idiots went into the carnival! You don't care about her, you never did!" 

"And speaking of the carnival," Aisha added, "let's not forget that you lost your precious leader there too. It's a wonder you didn't lose the whole team in there while you were at it!" 

"Let's see if you can hang on to this!" Trini yelled throwing something at Tanya. The startled current Ranger caught the object: a baseball. "Good catch. You can catch a baseball, even pitch one, but you lost your then-boyfriend because of that stupid game. What was his name, Shawn something or other?" she taunted. The baseball suddenly vanished as Trini threw something else at Tanya, who automatically caught it as well: a microphone. 

"You lost your chance to be somebody, you idiot! Do you realize how famous you could have become?" Aisha yelled at her. 

"No, I chose not to sign -" Tanya started as the microphone faded away. She didn't even see the last object thrown at her, it just landed hard in her hands: the Tiki. 

"You gave that to Jason for safekeeping, and through him, you lost Auric the Conqueror! Jason couldn't concentrate on keeping it safe because he was too worried about _you_ trying to find your parents! And once you finally found them, you've basically lost them again! You're worthless!" Aisha shouted, slapping Tanya. "We should take your powers right now, you aren't worthy of being a Ranger!" 

"We could go to Zordon, and have him choose which of us should take the power back," Trini suggested. 

"Hey, thanks to this wimp here losing Sheena, you could go 'comfort' Billy, and let him know how you've always felt about him," Aisha hinted to her partner with a nasty smile. "Trini Cranston does have a nice ring to it." 

"Shut up!" Tanya screamed at them both. "Shut up! You can't do this, I won't let you!" 

"And how do you propose to stop us?" Trini inquired coldly. "Or have you forgotten that you have a friend hanging off of a cliff, and the others trapped in a cave? You have to choose what means the most to you, Tanya Sloan: your friends and boyfriend, the wimp, or your powers. Which can't you stand to lose the most?" 

"If you had your powers right now, you could save your friends, or the wimp," Aisha whispered in her ear. Both former Yellow Rangers had closed in their circling of Tanya, both within inches of her by this point. "Or you could save Sheena. We could tell you where she is." 

"But you have to choose what to lose, loser," Trini sneered. "Or you could do the very best thing of all." 

"What's that?" Tanya asked warily. 

"Give up being a Ranger, give up everything. You know deep down inside that the only way to save everybody, including Sheena, is to just give up everything," the Asian girl replied. "You have to quit, you know you have to give up. Just forget about this little quest, they don't need you. They'd all be better off without you. Just simply give up, Tanya." 

"That should be easy for you," Aisha laughed. "You've given up so much in your life, quitting now would be easy! Just think, no Ranger responsibilities, a free life. your friends would all be safe." 

"And they would finally have a true Yellow Ranger back in their ranks: once of us," Trini finished. 

Tanya stared at them both open-mouthed, then abruptly squared her shoulders. "I won't give up being a Ranger!" 

"Then the wimp stays dead. And your friends will all die, and you'll never see Sheena again. Zordon will make you an outcast!" Trini declared. 

"I thought you just said Kahva was hanging on the side of the cliff, Trini," Tanya shot back, an odd smile slowly crossing her face. "You're lying about her being dead. Aisha didn't say anything to make me think Kahva was alive when you first blasted her off the plateau, but just now you wanted me to believe she was alive. You're lying to me, you're both lying!" 

"So what if we are? That doesn't change a thing," Aisha snapped. "Besides, if one of us is lying about Kahva, then the other has to be telling the truth, doesn't she?" 

Trini laughed maniacally then. "I think she thought we would simply vanish if she said we were lying! Sorry, it's not that easy, wimp!" 

"No, it's not," Tanya calmly agreed, her smile getting a bit bigger. 

"Confident little thing, isn't she?" Aisha snarled. With a wave of her hand in the direction of the volcano, she challenged, "Let's make this interesting. In a few minutes that volcano is going to come back to life, and that lovely boulder you and the crybaby saw is going to come flying right over here, right into the cave where your friends are. Give up, and we'll save them for you. Give up being a Ranger, Tanya, you can't handle it!" 

"No!" Tanya shouted. "I won't give up! If I give up on being a Ranger, then I've given up on myself! And if I give up on myself, then I lose me." Tanya's smile grew broader then. "If I lose myself, then I'll truly have lost all my friends, my parents, and my dreams. I may not be the best Yellow Ranger that there ever has been, or will be, but I'm the best Yellow Ranger, and Tanya Sloan that I can be." Tanya could feel all of her self-doubts and guilt falling away from her heart and mind as she realized her truth. "And just for the record here: Shawn had his own problems with me not living in his shadow, but living my own life instead, and making my own decisions. _I_ ended that relationship. And yes, the Trini I know admitted to me some time ago that she'd carried a secret crush on Billy for a long time, but she knew as well as the rest of us that Sheena was Billy's true love. She would never try to claim him as hers, nor try to take advantage of Sheena's being missing. Furthermore," she continued, her voice gaining confidence with every word, "Kahva is not a wimp, and I do care about her, just like I care about all my friends!" she threw back at her antagonists. 

"Glad to hear it," came a breathless voice from seemingly out of nowhere. "Could I get a hand up this last part now, please Mom?" 

"Kahva!" Tanya cried, rushing to the edge of the plateau as Kahva pulled herself up. "How did you - ?" 

"I hiked up about half of that so-called path of yours," Kahva gasped. "Whoa, my legs feel like rubber." Anything else Kahva would have said was drowned out by a menacing roar, followed in the next breath by a quaking of the ground that nearly sent Kahva and Tanya both to their knees. 

"So the wimp saved herself, big deal!" Trini sneered. "The volcano has come back to life, there's no way you can save your friends now!" 

"We'll just see about that!" Tanya yelled. "Kahva, we've got to get to the cave now!" 

"She can't shift you, you don't have your Zeonizer, therefore you don't have any power for her to tap into!" Aisha gloated. "You've lost, give up!" 

"Never!" Tanya shouted back at her predecessor. "I'm not giving up on Kahva, the others, Sheena, or myself! I still have faith!" 

"In what!" 

"In the power of love and friendship! In my friends! And in myself!" Tanya declared. "Besides, who said anything about shifting? I can see an entrance to the cave right behind you! Come on, Kahva!" Tanya ran pell-mell past the two former Rangers, Kahva right on her heels. 

"We can't move all the rocks, but all we need to do is roll this big one away," Tanya called back to Kahva. "We need something to get it to roll out of the way - that limb should do it, let's get it!" Tanya ran over to the limb and was already dragging it to the blocked up entrance before she realized Kahva wasn't helping her. "Kahva?" 

"You think you can save your friends with help? Oh no, stupid girl, you have to do it all by yourself!" Trini cackled, her hand clamped over Kahva's mouth. The young woman was struggling helplessly in the grip of the two former Yellow Rangers, though they were not having such an easy time keeping her prisoner. "And you know you can't move that boulder without her help, so say good-bye to all of your friends, forever! Starting with the wimp!" she shouted above the roar of the eruptions, as she and Aisha started to drag Kahva back to the edge of the plateau. 

"No." Tanya nearly froze in fear then. _No, I can't lose Kahva, I can't lose my friends, I can't lose any of them, I can't. I won't!_ "No!" she shouted. "Let her go right now!" Tanya threw all caution to the wind and charged at Aisha and Trini, knocking them away from Kahva, then grabbed the young woman and nearly dragged her over to the cave entrance. "We can do this!" she yelled over the roar of the erupting volcano as they maneuvered the improvised lever into position. "I won't lose any of you! I will not lose anyone ever again!" 

"You already have," Aisha's voice hissed. 

"No." 

"Yes, you've already lost them, it's only a matter of time. You can't get the boulder out of the way, even with the wimp's help. You're out of time now, you shouldn't have saved the wimp! You'll lose everyone and everything now!" Trini chuckled evilly. 

Tanya rounded on them both in anger. "As long as I have their love, I'll never lose them! And I do have it! They love me, and I love them!" Tanya then set back to working on the lever with Kahva, both girls pushing on it with every last bit of strength they had, even as they saw the fiery boulder spewed from the volcano hurtling directly at them. "I'll always have them in my heart, no matter what you two do, understand? I'll _never_ lose their love! Never!" 

All at once, the largest boulder blocking the entrance to the cave rolled away, the fiery missile in the air disappeared, and the plateau was suddenly part of the forest floor again. Everything was as calm and peaceful as before Tanya's visions had started, and the cave-trapped Rangers were now spilling out into the open. "You did it, Tanya!" Kahva yelped excitedly. "You passed!" 

"I did? I did!" the Yellow Ranger exclaimed, hugging her older friend joyfully. "Oh man, that was just all _way_ too intense!" 

"You're telling me, I thought Aisha and Trini - hey, where did they go?" 

"Would you two mind telling us what on Earth you're talking about?" Tommy asked with a cough as he exited the cave. "Neither of you are making much sense right now, you know. Hey, what happened to the volcano, and all the fallen trees?" he asked in confusion. "Everything's back to normal now? What is going on with this wacky planet!" 

Tanya and Kahva quickly related the events to the others as everyone brushed themselves off and made sure no one was injured. "I was so scared of losing you Adam," Tanya breathed into Adam's ear as she ended their tale with a fierce embrace of the Green Ranger. 

"Tanya, you will never lose me, lose us. I'll always be with you, we'll all always be with you. As long as we are in each other's hearts, we'll be together forever," Adam declared gently, returning Tanya's hug full force. "Forever together, just like Billy and Sheena. I love you Tanya Sloan, and I'll always be here for you." 

For a heartbeat she stood unmoving in his arms, as if doing anything at all would shatter the moment. Then her eyes shone full of love for him, and she almost collapsed into his embrace, her tears streaming freely. "Oh, Adam," she whispered. "I know that now, I truly do. Thank you." 

He smiled faintly, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Any time. I'm always here for you, you know that." 

"Yeah," she smiled back at him, then leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "And I'll always be here for you. For you, and for my parents, my friends, and the team. And no matter where any of us are, I'll always have you all in my heart." Then Tanya placed a kiss on Adam's lips that drew a few teasing catcalls from Rocky. 

And a pleased smile from the Keeper, as she watched the scene from afar. "Well done, my brave ones, well done." _Two down, six to go. I only hope they can all fare as well as their companions before them._

* * *

Sheena sat up, tears coursing down her cheeks, her heart aching as if it had been stabbed clean through. The horrible, vicious images she'd seen in her repeating dreams were printed in stark relief on her mind, and her hand automatically reached out as if searching for someone, anyone, to comfort her. When she encountered nothing, a fresh outpouring of tears began. "Sheena?" The voice nearly startled her into jumping, and probably would have, if she still hadn't been so tired still. Troubled sleep thoroughly infested with nightmares had done very little to ease her mind. 

Zimmer rushed to her bedside quickly, a very concerned look on his face, and took her hand worriedly. "Sheena, what's wrong?" 

"Nightmares," she whispered, not able to bring herself to look at him just yet. "I saw. th." Sheena paused then, not wanting, nor able to speak of what she'd seen in her dreams. "Just nightmares." 

She was a little surprised when he moved closer to her, but said nothing about it; he was just a friend, trying to help her during a difficult, almost impossible, time. "Sometimes it helps to talk about such things," he whispered softly in her ear. She turned to look at him, and suddenly was struck by two things: just how close together they were, and how incredibly handsome he actually was. _I don't think I've ever seen a better looking man, _came the thought unbidden to her mind. _ Not even... Not even Billy, I don't think. Yes, Zimmer is the most handsome man I've ever seen, of that there can be no doubt! He is the most handsome man in all the universe, and he cares for me!_

Zimmer could see the sudden spark of interest in her eyes, and fought back the sneer of triumph. _Control, control, I must keep control of my emotions! I want her so badly, but I mustn't lose control, not when I'm so close! Sigh... I'm going to have to do a lot of fighting back of my emotions and desires for a few hours yet. It's not time to cast my last thread and take victory just yet, he thought. But soon. Very soon... _"You were dreaming about your old home and your friends, weren't you?" he asked quietly. 

"They aren't my friends," she shook her head. "None of them are. They all betrayed me, even my old teacher Master Madas." She bit her lip, fighting back the fresh tears that wanted to fall. _It was a dream, but at the same time, it all felt so real, so true... _ Something in the back of her mind whispered powerfully that it was real, that it had happened, that Kahva was now using her old powers, that already she had been betrayed to the utmost degree by everyone who had ever meant anything to her. _ They've all been lying to me for so long, how could I not see it before?_

The wizard moved carefully, putting a gentle arm around her and smiling as she leaned back against him. "It'll be all right," he whispered. "I know you are hurting, I know it pains you to think of everything that they did, but you don't have to. Let me worry over all the thinking. let me deal with that." 

Sheena closed her eyes, a few more tears escaping and slowly sliding down her cheeks. "Yes," she whispered, leaning into his arms. "I don't need to think with you around." The words seemed perfectly reasonable and logical to her. "I just need you," she murmured. "Please stop the pain, Zimmer. Please stop it forever." 

"I will, my love," he whispered, holding her with a thousand times more tenderness than she could remember anyone else ever touching her with. "You will never be hurt as long as you are with me. You will never have to worry about anything or anyone again. I will take care of everything for you. I will never leave you, never hurt you in any way. We will be together, forever." Zimmer's words were rhythmic, hypnotic, comforting. Sheena fell into them and let them wash over her, gladly relinquishing her pain to their warm flow. 

The very faintest smile touched Sheena's lips, as she looked up into his eyes. "Forever together," she murmured. "Thank you, Zimmer. For everything."

* * *

No one else was being, nothing else was happening except for the continuing of their seemingly endless trek through the forest for the last hour. Silence was the rule. Each of the young questors was searching their hearts and minds, trying to figure out what their test would most likely be, hoping to prepare themselves for it ahead of time. Without consciously planning it, they had all fallen into a rough marching order. 

Tommy and Kat were in the front, keeping an eye out for anything and everything that might try to ambush them. Adam and Tanya were next; hand in hand and deep in thought, but with eyes still peeled for anything and everything out of the ordinary that might indicate another test had come. Rocky and Billy were next, both in a stony silence, Billy because his mind was imagining a thousand different scenarios that could be happening to Sheena, and a thousand more he was planning for Zimmer, if the opportunity presented itself properly. 

Jason and Kahva were next, and last, in line, with the two of them bound in a silence that rivaled that of Billy and Rocky. Jason stole the occasional glance over at her, making certain he couldn't be seen when he did it. The last thing he wanted was for her to get nervous and upset because of him looking at her with anything but an honestly casual glance. 

_She is a really sweet person,_ Jason thought to himself. _I wish she would talk more to us, though. I don't think she's ever sat down and had a heart-to-heart talk with any of us except for Sheena. And with everything that happened, whatever it was at the carnival, and the way things have been going here, I'm wondering if she'll even do that anymore. _ He thought back to the innocent question Kahva had asked aloud after Tanya's trial had been described to them, and they had been about to start out again. _ I wonder if all the trials will be like these two have been, long, drawn out, and scary? _came her haunting words back to him. Everyone had gone stock still at the possibilities the question had dredged up. Could the rest of the trials be as bad as Tommy and Tanya's. or perhaps worse? The silence that had greeted her question had quickly sent Kahva back into her shell, and no one had been able to coax her out of it since. _What I wouldn't give for this all to be over right now, and for us to be back on Earth with Sheena, for everything to be normal again. As normal as our lives ever get, anyway. Man, I think I'm going to go nuts! I wish my trial was already over with!_

The Gold Ranger shook himself mentally; they all wanted the trials to happen so they would be over, but he wasn't quite certain he wanted to be next. _It'll come in my own time, I guess, he thought. I just hope I can deal with it, whatever it is._ Jason's musing was halted as he and all the others suddenly found the trail to be infested with knobby, gnarled old tree roots, just the perfect height for tripping someone up. _If it's not one thing, it's another, this is just great, just great!_

He flicked his eyes once again over to Kahva, and hoped that whatever trial she faced, she would be able to handle it. She had been so quiet and withdrawn, and so hurt recently, he didn't know if she was strong enough for it. _But the Keeper must have thought she was, otherwise, she wouldn't have picked Kahva to come with us. Right? Or maybe that's part of the whole thing, to pick someone not suited at all, to push them to the edge? If so, then the trials are hardly fair! But the Keeper seemed to want us to succeed. No, she must feel that Kahva can do this, we have to keep faith in each other, or the rest of us will fail our trials. We can't fail, we have to save Sheena! But Kahva isn't a Ranger, so what could her trial possibly be?_ Somehow, worrying over what Kahva might face made Jason even more determined to see the whole team through, and to face his own trial. _We will not fail, none of us will fail, we simply can't! The cost of failure is too high._

Jason was about to look over at Kahva again, when a strangled cry came from up ahead of them. Both of them looked up to see something that looked much like a hole in the air, except this one had long, thin tentacles coming out of it, reaching towards the others. Adam was the one who had called out, his eyes round and full of terror. "No!" the Green Ranger literally shrieked the word out. "No, stop it!" 

More and more tentacles flowed out of the gaping wound in the heavens, and before either Jason or Kahva could do anything, they had tightly wrapped themselves around Billy and were dragging him towards the midair opening. "Let me go!" He valiantly tried to fight with the tentacles, but soon they were holding his arms tight to his body, rendering the Sapphire Ranger completely helpless. "I can't get free! Run guys, get out of here!" His warning was too late though, for the tentacles were lashing out at the others before he'd even yelled. As Billy's warning ended, Jason, Tommy, Kat, Tanya, Adam, and Rocky were all wrapped up in the tentacles inside of a moment of each other. Somehow Kahva barely managed to avoid them, diving headlong into the sinister tentacles, dragging and yanking at the appendage that held Billy with all her strength. 

"Let him go!" she growled, wishing she had her quarterstaff, or some sort of special powers, as she pounded on the thing. _ If this thing gets him because I can't fight back. NO! I won't let it have him, I won't let this thing get any of them! _ But try as she might, the greenish-black, rough tentacles were slowly winning this high stakes game of tug of war. "Let him go, let them all go!" 

"Kahva, get away before they get you too!" _Can't she see the danger she's in - what? What are these things doing with me!_ Adam struggled fiercely as he was dragged slowly up to the wide hole, the tentacles waving him about in the air as if showing off a trophy. The helpless Ranger paled and his eyes went wide as the center of the gaping hole cleared just enough to reveal something inside. or rather, someone: Mondo. 

"What's the matter, little Green Zeo Ranger?" the Machine King laughed. "Can't you do anything for anyone? I'm not surprised. you haven't been needed or wanted in quite some time. You're not important to anyone. especially not to your best friend!" he taunted, waving a hand in Billy's direction. 

"That's not true!" Adam snapped, struggling to the best of his ability against the tentacles that were holding him tightly. "You're lying!" 

Mondo laughed. "Am I? You know that ever since Sheena came into your lives, Billy just hasn't had time for you at all. He's been far too busy being with _her."_

The Green Ranger felt a bolt of ice freeze his heart. It was true; ever since Sheena had arrived so strangely into their world and lives, Billy and he hadn't spent quite the same amount of time together that they had before. As his face fell, he heard the Machine King's laughter. "But then again, she is his wife. _You're_ just an old has-been. He's not the only one who doesn't need you, you know," Mondo chuckled nastily. "Kahva is doing a better job of trying to save him right now than you ever could. At least, for right now, she is. I like to torment my prey with false hope before I capture them," he sneered. "And what of Tanya and Tommy? They didn't need your help at all in their trials. Don't you remember? You lost your hold on Tanya, it was Kahva who helped your girlfriend. And if you look at her now," he almost smiled, waving a hand in Tanya's direction, "it's your other friend who's helping her now. It's Rocky who's trying to come to her rescue." 

Sure enough, Rocky had one arm free, and a sharp rock he'd picked up from somewhere, and the tentacles were holding him close enough to Tanya for him to hack away at the appendages holding her prisoner. His efforts were in vain though, for as soon as he made any headway at all, another greenish-black tentacle would wrap itself around Tanya to ensure her captivity. "She doesn't need you anymore, now that she has a new hero. Face it, Ranger wimp! You're just not good enough to keep! You're not even worth the wasteful, piddling effort it would take to hold you or break you! Go back to where you belong. back to worthlessness and loneliness! No one needs you anymore! Especially not Billy!" 

As a gesture, the tentacle holding him captive dropped him to the ground with apparent disgust, while the others started dragging the Rangers closer and closer to the gaping hole that now seemed to represent the vacuum of his friendship with Billy. Adam stared up at it, his heart pounding and his eyes thick with tears. _ It can't be true, can it? Has Billy abandoned our friendship just because of Sheena?_

The young Ranger sat there, watching helplessly as Billy was drawn closer and closer to the hole. The tentacles were finding their way to Kahva now, weaving over, under and around their kin to reach her. "Adam!" Billy screamed. "Run, get out of here before they grab you again! You have to keep going! You have to keep going for Sheena's sake!" The Sapphire Ranger could only writhe helplessly in the sinister tentacles as Kahva kept pulling at them, fighting desperately to keep him from being pulled into the gaping tear in the sky. The young woman seemed oblivious to her own danger as a tentacle snaked around a leg, then her waist, slowly dragging her in along with Billy. Somehow, Kahva managed to jam her hand into the coils wrapped around Billy and grab his hand, throwing out her other one in a desperate attempt to grab something, anything, to keep him from being pulled into the ever-widening hole. 

"Kahva! The trees, the trees!" Adam shouted, hoping she would see what he saw. "Their roots! They're sticking up out of the ground, grab one!" He nearly collapsed with relief as she just barely managed to grab one as Billy and she were dragged past them. "Don't let go!" 

"I don't intend to!" she shouted back, as she slowly pulled herself and Billy a tiny distance away from the opening, struggling to gain every bit of leverage against their enemy she could. 

"Adam! Don't let them catch you again!" Tanya was the one who screamed this time. The others had seen the tactic Kahva was using by now, and all had managed to grab onto the roots with free hands, or by anchoring a foot or leg. Their efforts, though, were only delaying the inevitable. All of them were going to end up in the hole. As prisoners of the Machine King. 

"Adam, run! Get out of here!" Tommy shouted. 

"No! I can't leave you! I won't abandon you!" Adam tried to charge towards Billy, who was still the closest one to the growing opening. "Let him go, let them all go, Mondo!" 

"Just watch, Adam," the mocking voice of Mondo declared, not even giving him the honorific of Ranger anymore. "Just watch as your precious friend Billy comes into my control. and there is nothing that you or anyone else can do about it! The others will fall right behind him!" 

_Billy said I had to keep going for Sheena's sake. Is she really the only one he cares about anymore? Could Mondo be right? Is it possible? _Adam found himself frozen in the waving jungle of malicious tentacles, helpless to save his captured friends. He could feel the blood drain from his face as in spite of Kahva's best efforts, Billy was slowly pulled closer and closer to the opening. The root she had grabbed onto with an iron grip was coming out of the ground, it too giving way to the power of the tentacles. _ I can't let them be pulled through, I can't let Mondo have any of them, I can't! _

The Green Ranger ran forward, trying to reach Billy, but several tentacles jabbed out in front of him, weaving together in an instant, blocking his way. "Adam!" Billy shouted again. "Look out behind you!" Adam instantly tucked and rolled forward, dodging a large tentacle that struck the spot where he'd just been with a jarring thud. "Whoever's doing this, leave Adam alone!" Billy yelled. 

_They can't see Mondo. But why?_ he wondered. A cold, hard shiver quickly wracked his spine as he at last saw what was happening. _This is my trial! That's why they can't see Mondo! Knowing that isn't going to stop this, though. I have to pass my trial to keep the quest going, to have a chance to save Sheena, but I can't leave my friends here to become Mondo's prisoners! But how do I save my friends? What do I do?_ "Thanks for the warning!" he shouted up to Billy, even as he searched for a way around the tentacle wall. 

"What are friends for?" Billy hollered back with a groan as the tentacles binding him squeezed him painfully. His moan was joined by Kahva's as her arms were stretched to the limit, trying to keep her grip on the root with one hand, and Billy with the other. It was a game of tug of war with Billy as the prize, and the tentacles were slowly winning. 

_ Mondo's going to get him, I can't let Mondo have him, I can't._ "Kahva, don't let go of him!" 

"I'm trying, Adam!" Kahva screamed back. "Get out of here before they get you, hurry!" 

"I can't leave you guys!" _What am I supposed to do!_ Adam felt hot tears of fear, anger and utter helplessness threaten to well up and spill from his eyes, then some finally escaped, and Adam sank to his knees, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I can't, I can't do this, Mondo is right, I'm worthless, and when he has them, I'll be alone. I've lost my friends, my best friend," he whispered to himself brokenly. "I've lost him first to marriage, now Mondo." Then, like a lightning bolt, realization struck him. _What was it Billy just said? 'What are friends for?' He's still my friend, he always has been! Mondo's wrong, Billy hasn't, and couldn't, and wouldn't abandon our friendship just because he got married. We might see each other less, but we're still friends! We'll always be friends!_

"Poor Adam," Mondo's voice floated down from the sky, ringing in Adam's ears. "He's lost the fight, the quest, his girlfriend, and now he's about to lose his best friend," the Machine King taunted him, laughing evilly. "And there's nothing he can do! Nothing!" 

Adam stared up at the hole, slowly getting to his feet, the despair of utter defeat washing away as he felt a sudden calm invade his soul. "Not necessary to do something about it," he smiled abruptly, as the truth warmed him with its embrace. "Because you're _wrong_, Mondo! My friendship with Billy hasn't ended just because he's got a wife now. I hope to marry someday myself, and our friendship won't change because of that either," he stated confidently, looking over at Tanya with eyes full of love, and a fierce belief in his truth. "And just for the record, I've not lost the woman I love, I have not lost Tanya!" Adam allowed himself a tiny smile as some of the tentacles holding the other Rangers started to ease their collective hold on their prisoners. "Yes, my friendship with Billy has changed, but it has never been lost! It's just different. and in some ways better. We appreciate the time we have together, and it's a lot of fun. Billy is my best friend. and always will be! Do you hear me, Mondo? I still have my best friend! I still have _all_ of my friends, and their love, right here!" he shouted defiantly, pointing at his heart. "And I always will!" 

Even as the last words fell from Adam's lips, the hole vanished and Rangers were falling abruptly to the ground all over the place. "Look out!" Billy warned frantically, as suddenly Kahva was the only one pulling on him. His words were too late however, as without anything to hold him back, he tumbled from the sky and into Kahva's arms, literally falling on top of her. As they hit the ground, he grunted at the impact, and Kahva moaned, her face wrinkled up in mild pain. Billy quickly rolled off of her, then bent over her, still on his knees, gazing at her with a lopsided grin. "Falling into your arms is getting to be a habit," he chuckled, remembering how he'd collapsed on top of her when he was released from the mirror prison dimension, and before that, when he'd landed on her coming off of the slide at the carnival. 

Then the images his evil clone had sent him flooded his mind, and he shivered, the blood draining from his face. _This is almost how he was looking down at her, almost the same exact position. What am I doing! I can't joke around with her, not like this! _ Billy wanted to leap up and bolt away, but couldn't, the shock from the replayed images had rendered him immobile. All he could do was stare into her eyes as she grimaced, placing a hand over her stomach, propping herself up carefully on one arm. Everyone else bit their lips, staring at the small tableau before them. The way Kahva had been reacting and acting to everything since the carnival. they didn't know what she would do. 

"Mind breaking that habit?" Kahva grunted out, arching an eyebrow up at Billy. "Your elbow in my stomach isn't exactly pleasant, you know. Sharp jabs do tend to hurt, most times." The relief in the air could have been cut with a knife, as the smile on her face told them all she was joking.

* * *

No one was much the worse for wear after Adam's trial, though everyone had bumps, bruises and minor scrapes in various places. As much as they might want to, no one even hinted that they should rest; they all knew time was of the essence here. The Rangers found their concern shifting from Kahva just the tiniest bit, and settling on Billy a little more. Kahva had discreetly let the others know what she had sensed from him through their ever increasingly erratic and shaky link. Billy was keeping himself going with thoughts of what he would likely do to Zimmer if he had hurt Sheena in any way, and at that particular moment, the Sapphire Ranger had a _very_ broad definition of hurting. Billy was so tightly wound up, he would have been willing to punch the wizard out just for simply breathing on his wife. Tommy mentally took a bit of slight hope from these events, though. For the first time since the carnival, none of them had showed the least bit doubt in Kahva's words. Perhaps it was because Billy was so obviously agitated, perhaps not, but for whatever the reason, Tommy was very glad of it. _ I think just maybe we're beating it, whatever that is making some of us doubt her, I think we're beating it! I sure hope so, anyway. Whatever the reason is, I'll take what we can get!_

The other sliver of hope he clung to was that Billy had not slipped into depression, nor had given into a feeling that they were not going to succeed. _ If he loses hope, we're done for. and so is Sheena._ Tommy gave his old friend a worried glance as they continued down the trail. _ I just hope he doesn't let his anger at Zimmer blind him so much that he loses Sheena by accident._

The trail slowly widened as they trudged down it, eventually leading them to a small stream. Everyone paused gratefully for a quick drink and to put some of the cool water on the more painful wounds. The Red Ranger found himself studying both Kahva and Billy, noticing that Kahva seemed to want to say something to various members of the team, but would apparently think better of it before attracting their attention. Perhaps she was aware Tommy was watching her, for she seemed to make a point of not making any eye contact with him whatsoever. As for Billy, Kahva's words were being confirmed over and over again. He could see the Sapphire Ranger's lips moving, and upon moving closer, he was able to overhear parts of muttered threats against Zimmer. _ Calm down Billy, please! If you lose your focus, you might lose Sheena! _Not wanting to aggravate him further by calling attention to his agitation publicly, Tommy opted for laying a gentle hand upon Billy's shoulder to get his attention. Then he cleared his throat to alert the others. "As nice as this is, we've got to keep moving," he said quietly. "And I think we should rearrange our marching order a little, we've got what looks like a rough section up ahead. 

"As if the going has been easy so far," Adam commented, giving a short, dry laugh. "How rough is it?" 

For a reply, Tommy simply pointed to the trail that stretched out before them. Rising above the forest floor ahead was a series of cliffs, with the stream they'd been drinking from cascading down from it. The path wound up through the cliffs, narrowing until it went out of sight around a sharp-looking turn. "Rough doesn't describe it," Rocky breathed. "That looks like total murder!" 

"I'll take up the rear," Tommy decided, his eyes glancing from one to the other of the team. "As for the lead." he started, his eyes settling on Rocky and Jason. 

Rocky was about to offer to take the lead, when Jason raised his hand. "I'll take the lead, Tommy," he grinned, not noticing the slight disappointment and hint of resentment in Rocky's eyes. 

Tommy grinned, nodding. "You're reading my mind bro, just like old times," he chuckled, patting Jason on the back as the two of them spread out into their positions, not noticing Rocky's shadowed eyes. 

_And here I am, Mr. Chopped Liver himself all over again. Why did Jason have to jump in so fast, I could've taken the lead, no problem! Oh, what's the use? _ The Blue Ranger had gotten over his initial resentment to Jason's rejoining the team, but every now and then, something happened that would just irk his nerves beyond reason. 

"Rocky, I want you to hang right behind Jason," Tommy called out. As the team organized themselves between Jason and Tommy, Rocky bit down on his anger, trying to focus beyond it. 

_We're all friends, we're all on the same team, with the same mission, don't let it get to you, don't let him get to you, _he invoked the mantra he had used ever since Jason had come back to the Rangers. As they headed up the path and towards the cliff, he repeated it mentally over and over, but for once, it wasn't having any effect. At least, not the usual one of calming him down. Instead, he was growing angrier and angrier with every breath, every step, that he took. _Who does he think he is, coming back here? We didn't need his help, we were doing just fine without him! It's not like we needed saving or anything, we were doing just fine! _

Not paying attention to himself, much less anyone else, Rocky rather roughly pushed his way beyond Jason, striding far ahead of the others, more to be by himself and muse over the vicious thoughts arrowing through his head than anything else. _I'll show them who can take the lead, I'll show them all that Jason isn't all he's cracked up to be, somehow! I wish he would just go away for a while._ Rocky smiled tightly, grimly to himself as thoughts of a Jason-free Rangers team danced through his head. _ No Gold Ranger, now that would be a nice world._ The quest was forgotten, all the Blue Ranger could think about was taking down the Gold Ranger, watching him take _his_ orders for a change. _Show him who's boss for once._

"What's up with Rocky?" Tanya wondered, looking over at Adam and raising an eyebrow. "He looks kind of upset." 

Adam bit one lip nervously; he'd only ever seen Rocky looking like this once before, and he didn't want to think it was happening all over again. _Rocky, this isn't the time or place for this, please calm down! You're not thinking straight! The last time you acted like this, you nearly got yourself killed over this. The stakes are even higher now, you have to calm down!_

"Rocky," Adam called out, as he started to try to catch up with his friend, but almost as soon as he took his first step, an extremely unmistakable sound echoed all around them. Adam jerked his head up, paling terribly as he saw what was happening. "Avalanche!" 

Rocky whirled around at Adam's cry, and everyone stared in shock and fear as rocks pounded down the side of the cliffs, falling almost precisely in between Rocky and Jason and the rest of the group. Rocky stood stock-still, literally paralyzed with fear as they were neatly separated. He was about to head back, determined to push Jason aside to get to his friends, when another rugged, massive boulder landed on the ledge they were standing on. Shockwaves radiated outward from the strike, sending hard tremors through the ground, nearly sending Rocky and Jason both to their knees. Without warning, the ledge underneath Jason's feet crumbled away, crashing down the cliff. and trying to take Jason with it. 

"Rocky!" Jason screamed as he fell, grasping onto the scant remains of the ledge with his fingertips. "Rocky, pull me back up! Hurry!" 

The Blue Ranger stared for a moment, and time almost seemed to stand still. _I could let Jason fall, and be rid of him once and for all. The others wouldn't, couldn't blame me. This is an accident, after all._ Rocky smirked ever so slightly, indulging in the luxury of smugness, knowing full well Jason nor the others could see him. _No more Jason, just like I've wished for._

But as quickly as the thought warmed his mind, a second doused his glee. _No, then he would become a martyr, and you can't ever get rid of them. Dang it, even gone, Jason would still get me! It's not fair!_

"You could save him," came a quiet suggestion. 

"Tanya! Wh-what are you - how did you get past the boulders?" Rocky choked out._ Great, I have to try and save him now, she's watching me!_

"I have my ways," she smiled, striding over to him. "You do realize you could just simply save him, don't you?" 

_Yeah, I could save him, and just have to deal with it even more, _Rocky thought angrily. He started to crawl carefully over to where he could just see Jason's fingers clinging desperately to what little remained of the ledge, but then turned around, giving Tanya a puzzled look. "I'd almost say you didn't want me to save him." 

"Well. It's because I know how you feel," she replied. "You were replaced when Jason showed up. Yeah, you're still on the team, but you've been replaced. Tommy looked to you to help lead when we were just five Rangers, but when Jason showed up, you got shoved back." Tanya walked closer to Rocky then, placing a cool, caring hand on his shoulder. "That hurt, I know it did." 

"You can say that again," Rocky muttered softly, his anger still burning deep in his heart. 

"Then Sheena had to show up with such wonderful powers," Tanya continued sarcastically. "And she had to get Billy set up so perfectly to get powers of his own! Talk about getting shoved back, that was two shots in less than twenty four hours." 

"But Billy's never wanted to lead -" 

"But who does Sheena turn to all the time? Tommy, Jason and Billy. True, Billy doesn't try to lead, so I guess he doesn't really count, but there's still Tommy and Jason. And Jason is hanging off of a cliff right now. So what if you can't save him? I doubt we'll fail the quest just because of something naturally happening to one of us. Let him fall," Tanya suggested. "But like you were just thinking, that'll make him a martyr, and you can't get rid of them to save your life or soul." 

"But if I save him, I'll have to deal with him even more!" _Wait a minute. How did she know what I was thinking?_ Rocky wondered. 

"True, but he'll owe you his life then. That will put him at a disadvantage. Come on Rocky, after everything he's done to you, don't you want him to owe you?" Tanya asked with a dangerous smile. 

"It would be nice, I guess." 

"You guess! Come off it Rocky, you'd love it and you know you would!" Tanya laughed. "You would like to have him, Tommy and Sheena in your debt, probably Billy too! But right now, it's Jason who will die. Unless you, being the great hero, somehow save him. Think of the gratitude from everyone, think of how much Jason will have to bow down to you. You can't tell me that the thought of Jason groveling at your feet isn't appealing." 

Suddenly Rocky's anger shifted, and there was an odd tremble in his heart as Tanya's words echoed in his mind. _Jason groveling? It would be. No, there's something that's just not right with that image._ "I - I don't know." he mumbled, feeling very unsure of his thoughts and heart. 

"Rocky, think back to all the times when your ideas were shot down in favor of the 'almighty Jason', and his 'I'm the hero, I can save you' act. Think about all the times Sheena's passed you over, and all the times Tommy has as well," the Yellow Ranger urged. "Let Jason die, or save him and rub his face in it! This is your time to shine, your time to take back your rightful place in the Rangers. Do it!" 

_He would owe me... I'm being good enough to save him, he would owe me!_ Rocky thought, a cold delight filling his soul. _They have passed me over so many times, never listened to me -_

"Yes, take advantage of him, take advantage of all of this, do it!" Tanya exclaimed. "Remember how they all acted at the carnival today, you were the only one who truly believed Kahva, you were the only one who noticed the bruises that clone put on her, right? Jason missed that; the great hero Jason, the 'I'm the original leader, I'm so wonderful Jason' screwed up! You are the one they should all be thanking and bowing to right now! Take care of Jason once and for all, get him out of your way permanently! Do it, do it now!" 

Carried along by his darkest emotions and Tanya's fiery cold encouragement, Rocky was nearly to Jason's weakening fingers when something far back in his mind made him stop and stare hard at Tanya. "Wait a minute. Why do you want me to do this? I thought you liked Jason." 

"After he nearly lost the Tiki for all time? Give me a break, don't make me laugh! He's not my friend, he's not anybody's friend!" she scoffed. "Frankly, I don't see what Emily or Kahva see in him. He's a complete faker!" 

"You're right, he's not to be trusted..." Rocky agreed. _I could save everyone so much grief if I just let him fall, or saved him and took him down a few pegs. They've all passed me over so many times... So why am I hesitating? _ Past battles flashed in his mind as he tried to justify his jealousy and anger, battles where each one of them had saved each other time and time again, how everyone's ideas were heard out, and the best one or ones used. _They... They haven't passed me over for Jason?_ Rocky froze, his hand hovering uncertainly over Jason's slipping fingers. 

"What are you waiting for!" Tanya screamed. The Yellow Ranger was at Rocky's side in an instant, fairly yanking him back up to his feet with surprising strength. "Either save him or let him fall, but take him down! Take back your place!" she raged at him, shaking him until his neck felt like it would snap in two. 

"Save him or..." _What in the WORLD am I thinking?_ Rocky shook himself suddenly. _Jason TRUSTED me with the Red Ranger powers when I came to Angel Grove, he didn't have to, he could've asked Zordon to pick someone else or chosen not to go to Switzerland. He didn't come back to Angel Grove to be a Ranger. That was just a coincidence, he told us that himself, and we knew that beforehand anyway! He came back home because he was so homesick, he came back to be with his friends and family. Being asked to take the Gold powers was something he never counted on. He hadn't even heard about the Gold Ranger until Tommy found him, the existence of a Gold Ranger hadn't made it into the news. All the media knew was there was a new Ranger, nothing else! _ Rocky's jealousy shattered its icy grip on his heart as the Blue Ranger could finally let himself see the truth. _Jason has always stood by me, by all of us, and I'm not going to let him down now!_ "I'm going to save him, and I'm not going to take any advantages of anything!" he yelled at the young woman who had pulled him up, who had urged him to give in to his unwarranted jealousy. "Jason is my friend, and always will be, just like everyone else is! They've never tried to replace me, I'm the only one who's tried to do that, by thinking of Jason as something other than what he is: my friend! Get your hands off of me!" he snapped at the girl, whirling out of her hold and back to the ledge. Rocky dropped quickly to his knees and held his hand out to Jason. "Grab my hand!" he shouted. "I'll pull you up!" 

The sound of their two hands meeting should have been the familiar smack of flesh on flesh, and to normal ears it was. But to Rocky, it was something more. It was the sound of jealousy being released at last, of freedom from self-inflicted mental pain and grief that didn't need to exist. Slowly, bracing his feet as best he could against two large rocks for balance, he lifted his friend up over the edge of the cliff. Side by side they lay there, panting with exhaustion. 

"Thanks," Jason managed to get out. "Thanks for not listening to whoever that was you were yelling at." 

"I was yelling at Tanya, she was telling me to - Where'd she go! She was right over there!" Rocky exclaimed, trying to roll over to get to his feet, but he was just a little too tired to do so. "You say you heard all of that? So I didn't imagine it all?" 

"I heard you yelling at someone, but I couldn't hear what they were saying," Jason stated breathlessly. "In fact, I didn't hear anyone else at all. I only heard you. That wasn't the real Tanya, Rocky. It had to be another illusion... Oh man, that means this was _your_ trial..." Jason looked down at the ground, an unfamiliar awkwardness filling his heart. "Rocky, I know that you felt like I've -" 

"Stop right there, Jason. I _did_ feel like that," Rocky shook his head. "But not anymore. Jason, I've been acting like an idiot, and I'm sorry for it. I knew deep down that you weren't trying to replace me, but little things would happen, nobody meant for them to, and I let them eat at me. I should've talked it all out long before now. Can you ever forgive me?" 

Jason smiled, slowly getting to his feet, then helping Rocky up as the others carefully picked their way to them over the boulders that had blocked the trail. "There's nothing to forgive, but if there is, you're forgiven," he chuckled. 

Rocky smiled in return, and let the joy in his heart at his release from jealousy bubble out with his own laughter. "Jason... thank you. Because of you, I found some of the greatest friends in my life, and a real meaning to my life as well. Because of you, I became a Power Ranger. Thanks, man." 

Jason smiled, squeezing the other young man's shoulder. "Not a problem, bro. Not a problem."

* * *

"I'm getting worried." David paced back and forth anxiously; he'd arranged with his father to be away for a few days once the Rangers and Kahva had left, just to be on the safe side, and had quite literally moved into the Power Chamber for the duration, whatever it may be. The Treys were there as well, while the Aquitian Rangers were relaxing in a pool of treated water on another level of the Power Chamber, keeping themselves fully hydrated in case of an emergency. Alpha had been successfully repaired from his earlier overload, and was softly 'ay-yi-yiing' to himself, fretfully shuffling from one console to the other in his normal fashion, scanning for any possible signs of danger. If Mondo tried to take advantage of the Power Rangers absence, then they would need to be at peak condition and full power. "It's been so long already," he sighed, fingering his half of the powerful arrowhead he and his brother protected. _Please stay safe. All of you, please stay safe._

THEY HAVE MADE IT SAFELY TO THE PLANET OF THE KEEPER, Zordon reminded him gently. THE KEEPER WILL KEEP THEM SAFE UNTIL THE QUEST IS FINISHED, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. TO WEAR YOURSELF OUT WITH WORRY WILL HELP NEITHER THEM, NOR YOU, DAVID. 

Trey of Wisdom nodded; he and the other two Treys were looking just a little weaker than normal. "When this is ended, Zordon, we must return to Triforia. We have been searching for ways to restore our unity, but as you well know, it has been well over a year since we were splintered. If we do not restore ourselves soon, then we could very well perish." 

WE OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE THAT WE CAN IN THIS ENDEAVOR, TREY, Zordon assured their friend. YOU HAVE AIDED US MANY TIMES, AND ARE MORE THAN OWED OUR HELP IN RETURN. 

"Thank you, Zordon," the Treys spoke in unison. "We hope that your Rangers return soon; all our research so far shows that in some fashion, the Gold Ranger powers will need to be used our reunification." 

As the conversation continued, with both Trey and Zordon perusing over various methods and possibilities of reunification, David wandered over to one side and stared at the floor. _You guys better hurry,_ he thought. _If Mondo attacks, I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't fight. The Treys and the Alien Rangers will handle that, but I guess I'll just stay here and watch. It's not like I can do much of anything else. I don't know how Billy managed to handle this helplessness for as long as he did. I'm just a 'temporary support staff member', and already I think I'm going insane with this! I want to do something, but all I can do is be a cheerleader!_

He took a long breath, and sighed. _Good luck, guys. Please come back safely. Please..._

* * *

"Okay, now that everything's all lovey-dovey between the two of you, do you possibly think you could -" Kat's voice broke off in the middle of her sentence for two reasons: the avalanche and the damage it had wrought to the land and the cliffs about them were both suddenly gone. Not cleared away. Gone, as if they had never been in the first place. "Okay," she murmured, shaking her head. _You'd think I'd be used to things like this by now. Then again, sometimes I think I'll never get used to all of it. _ "I've got to hand it to the Keeper, she's got one heck of a cleanup crew!" 

As they started heading forward again, with Rocky and Jason side by side now in the lead, despite the narrowness of the path, she found herself thinking suddenly on just how she'd gotten involved in all of this. Her heart sank, as she realized from everyone else's descriptions what was already happening to her. _ We just finished Rocky's trial, don't we even get a little bit of rest before we plunge headlong into mine? _

Despite her desire not to remember, her thoughts drew inexorably back to the beginning, her own entry into the Rangers lives. Her heart pounded faster and faster as she thought of how Rita had lured her with a disguised Tenga out into the woods and had placed her darkest and most evil spell on her. She had done such terrible evil as Rita's pawn; she'd attacked Billy and Adam while they were enroute to Billy's lab, she nearly killed Kimberly by stealing her power coin. She had also stolen the FalconZord, which had weakened Ninjor enough so he could be captured all too easily by Rita and Zedd. A crystalline tear shone in one eye as she remembered all of the appalling deeds that she had done in those horrible times. _ I wish I could change all that, she thought. I wish I could make it all right again. I hurt them all so badly, and all they ever did was be kind to me, try to help me fit in... I don't deserve to be a Ranger, I've never been a true Ranger._

"Hello, little Kitty-Kat!" A voice as familiar to her as her own shocked her to her core, as they all came to an alarmed halt. Kat looked up to see something, or rather someone in front of them that she had never seen before... but knew all too well anyway. A tall, muscular, feline figure blocked their path. Yellow-eyed with what could have been fur, or perhaps an extension of its tail wrapped about its torso, the beast hissed and extended deadly sharp claws. Covered from head to toe with ratty yellow and white fur, the creature was a sickening, fearsome sight. The Pink Ranger went stiff as a board as she stared into the face of the Cat Monster, her once-monster form. "What's the matter, Katherine, see someone you know?" it yowled. "Like, yourself, maybe?" 

Tommy, Adam, Rocky, and Billy all stared as something they had never thought they would see again leapt out in front of them. Kahva had seen it before also, on television back in her old world. _This thing is just like King Mondo, it's real here too!_ her mind shouted nervously. _But back there, it didn't look anywhere near this horrible! Why do these monsters have to be so much scarier-looking in person, here in Ranger reality! I'd give anything for them to be as comical as the TV series back there, just for once!_ "Cat Monster." she gasped softly under her breath. 

"What _is_ that thing!" Tanya looked revolted at the sight of the monster. "I don't think I've ever seen it before!" 

"Remember when we told you about how Kat used to be evil? Before she took over Kim's spot as a Ranger?" Adam murmured. "Well, Rita and Zedd made that thing her monster form. Billy and I had to fight that thing by ourselves, we barely had time to morph. If the others hadn't gotten there..." He shuddered, remembering how easily she'd tossed them in the air, how she'd clawed at Billy's chest and stomach. _Even through his uniform, she left some nasty scratches on him, he was sore for days. So was I, but he got the worst of it._ Adam's back tensed, starting to ache from the remembered pain of being slammed into a tree. _And now, none of us can morph, and one of us isn't even a Ranger to begin with. If this thing is even half as strong as last time... _ "We also had to fight it Zord-sized, and that wasn't pleasant either. I think it's safe to say we've entered Kat's trial," he breathed, barely nodding to indicate his friend. Adam was plainly afraid of drawing too much attention to Kat, though they all knew as well as he did that if this was her trial, it was far too late to worry about that. "It's got to be hers." 

Jason glanced over to his pink friend, and from the look of sheer horror on Kat's face, it was painfully obvious Adam was right. "Kat? Kat! Snap out of it, please!" _This isn't good... It's up to her to deal with this, but she's not! The rest of us are either going to be gotten out of the way or separated from her in some fashion, that's been the pattern of the trials so far. _Jason stared grimly at the furry menace that blocked their way. _We all have to face our trials alone, but that doesn't mean we can't try to help her!_

He took a step towards the monster, not quite certain what he was going to do. "Leave her alone!" he shouted. _ Okay Jason, that was stupid, if this is her trial, if she's going to pass it, she has to face it, it can't leave her alone! he berated himself. But she's just standing there, Kat's out of it! We've got to help her somehow! _

Before he could call out to the Pink Ranger again, the monster hissed softly at him, pointing a sharp, yellowed claw in his direction. Somehow, Jason was not surprised when the ground beneath his feet suddenly vanished. As he dropped out of sight of the others, the last thing he heard was a shriek from Tanya. _ Good luck, Kat,_ he thought, before his mind faded away into blackness. 

"Where's Jason?" Tanya stared at the ground he had fallen into, which had sealed over him completely. "What happened to him!" 

"I happened, you little yellow twit!" the Cat Monster purred. She curled up her body high around a tree trunk, staring down at them with baleful and hungry eyes. "And I'm going to happen to all of you little idiots, unless I get what I want!" An ominous rustling of leaves heralded the oncoming arrival of something, or someone else from the forest... and whatever it was, it had company. 

Ignoring the noises for the moment, Adam took a step forward himself, growling and fists clenched in anger. "And what is it that you want?" he demanded. The rustling in the forest grew louder, whatever was coming to aid the monster was getting closer. "Answer me!" the Green Ranger demanded. 

The Cat creature lazily flipped her tail at him, and just as it had under Jason, a hole appeared and Adam was gone as well, the ground where he had stood sealed and whole as if it had never opened. "What I want is for me to know, and you to find out," it purred, not so much as moving a hair as it turned a gaze on all of them. "Of course, you won't find it out. You never will, and you never truly do figure anything out. You've all just been lucky this far..." 

"Kahva," Billy leaned over quickly to the older girl, whispering so as not to be overheard by the monster. "Get out of the line of fire, hide somewhere before that thing tries to hurt you! I've tangled with that thing before, you know that from the show. Trust me, whatever you saw back there is nothing compared to what the real thing can do!" Billy watched the monster the whole time, who seemed to have its eyes glued on Tanya for some reason momentarily. "Go!" he hissed. 

Unfortunately, the Cat appeared to have ears keener than any of them had ever suspected, or its brief fascination with Tanya had been a ploy all along. Whatever the case, the pair never got the chance to hazard a guess. "Talking about a kitty behind her back? How rude! I simply _hate_ bad manners!" Before either Billy or Kahva could make a move, its tail lashed out sharply, using its powers to reach them. In the blink of an eye, it knocked Kahva out of sight, and pulled Billy down into another hole. Tanya, Rocky and Tommy almost 'eeped' at the same moment, a shiver of fear playing havoc with their hearts. In a matter of seconds, half their team was gone to who knew where, and Kat still had not moved so much as a muscle. 

"Do you think we'd better try and snap her out of it, or will that do more harm than good?" Rocky whispered to the other two as they huddled together for a quick strategy session. The Cat Monster seemed perfectly willing to let them do anything for the moment; its eyes were now as focused on Kat as hers were on it. "Or is it one of those things where no matter what we try, we're still going to get taken out of the picture here?" 

"Kat may as well not even be here, with the way she's just staring so. so mindlessly at that thing!" Tanya exclaimed softly, shooting furtive glances at the monstrous creature. "I can't believe she used to be that - that." 

"I know. But she was, just like I was once Rita's evil Green Ranger." Tommy glanced over at Kat and the Cat Monster, who now were locked in an endless staring contest, neither blinking yet. "I hate to say it, but I think we're going to be taken out no matter what we might try to do." 

"Tommy, you sound as if you're giving up!" 

"No, I'm not, Tanya. Believe me, I'm not about to give up on anyone! But we've been through this before with the other trials, remember? Whoever is being tested isn't allowed to have help in any way. They have to do it on their own, and the trials ensure that." Tommy stared at his love with pleading eyes, willing her to snap out of her entrancement. _Kat, please! Snap out of it!_ "It's a solo thing for each of us, no matter what." 

"No, you're wrong!" Tanya protested. "You had all of us helping you in your trial, we all told you that none of this was your fault! We all helped Adam, Kahva helped me, and Rocky had help -" 

"Rocky didn't have anyone, Tanya," Tommy pointed out gently. "And from the looks of it, Kat won't have any help either. Listen, Tanya. Except in Rocky's, we were all able to encourage the one in the trial, but they were the ones who had to realize a truth in themselves. I had to realize it on my own in mine, you in yours, and the same for Adam and Rocky." 

"It's a revelation of the soul," Rocky nearly whispered, drawing surprised glances from his two teammates. "Hey, just because I tend to be the joker, it doesn't mean I don't have deep thoughts every now and then. Besides," he smiled tightly, staring hard at the still seemingly frozen Kat, "it's the truth." 

"It may be the truth, but how is Kat going to face her trial if she's still totally zoned out?" Tanya asked. "It's hard to have a revelation if you're not conscious enough to have it to begin with!" With unerring aim, Tanya scooped up a rock and threw it exactly between the monster and her friend, precisely through Kat's field of vision. "Snap out of it!" she shouted, desperately hoping the rock had broken the young woman's entrancement, or whatever it was that was holding her so terrifyingly still. "We have to do something!" 

But all the Pink Ranger seemed to be able to do was stare open-mouthed at the vicious creature before her. Tanya was about to hurl another rock between the two when Tommy stilled her with a hand on her arm. "You're right about one thing, Tanya," Tommy agreed. "We do have to do something, we can't just let her stand there like that. You've got the right idea, we have to wake her up, or she'll never get through this. But," he finished, taking the rock out of the Yellow Ranger's hand, "though I trust your aim completely, that monster might decide to do something with your ammo other than harmless throwing. We have to try something else." Turning back to his love, he willed her to wake up with all his love, hurling it into his voice just as fiercely as Tanya had thrown her rocks. "Kat!" he yelled at the blonde. "Kat, wake up! Please!" _Kat, please hear me, snap out of it! I love you, please wake up! Please!_

All their hopes sank however, when the Cat Monster turned to gaze balefully at them. "If you're not going to actually _do_ anything, other than yak your heads off, yell and throw rocks, then it's time for you to join your friends. Give my greetings to oblivion! Spinners! Get them!" 

So intent had the remaining Rangers been on their teammate, the noises in the trees had been all but forgotten. Suddenly, nearly a dozen gray, featureless creatures, about five feet tall each, burst into the clearing, chittering and emitting soft, eerie, high-pitched howls. 

"What are those things!" Tanya managed to cry about before two of them tackled her down to the ground. Any further protest was cut off as the creatures spat out a web-like substance at her, rapidly encasing her in a cocoon even as they dragged her off into the forest. 

"Rocky, look out!" Tommy shouted in warning, but too late to stop his friend from being captured. Tommy stood helpless as the Blue Ranger struggled vainly in the grip of four of the odd beings, then was rendered helpless as a fifth trapped his legs in the beginnings of a cocoon. Rocky was just as quickly and easily carried off into the woods as Tanya had been, with still more of the creatures spilling out from seemingly everywhere. 

"Tommy!" came a fearful shout from behind the Red Ranger. "Watch out!" 

"Kahva! Where did you -" Tommy whirled around in surprise, barely avoiding a massive expectoration of the web substance being shot at him from the remaining creatures. 

"I fell out of the tree that thing knocked me into, that's where I came from," she quickly explained as she and Tommy regrouped, trying hard to keep an eye on the Spinners, and Kat and the monster. 

"Climbing down not fast enough?" Tommy joked tightly, quickly glancing back and forth from Kahva to the creatures. 

"Not when those things are spitting gunk at you," Kahva growled lightly. It was then that Tommy could see a blob of the same substance stuck on Kahva's arm that the Spinners were spitting out and using to capture them. Frowning, she pulled at it vainly. "It's like a spider web almost, but a lot stronger. I can't get the junk off of me!" 

"They're bound and determined to get us out of the way - look out!" he shouted, as the Cat Monster suddenly leapt at them. 

"Spinners! Capture the Red Ranger! You," it sneered, stalking up to Kahva, "are going to make a nice little lab rat for King Mondo, and your friends are now prisoners of my employers, Zedd and Rita! Bind the child!" the monster ordered some of the Spinners. 

"Leave her alone!" Tommy roared, jumping on the monster, kicking and punching at it as hard as he could. 

"Hahahaha! That tickles, Red Ranger!" the Cat Monster snarled sarcastically before easily shrugging him off of her. "Care to watch me take down your girlfriend?" it asked, even as the Spinners started to encase him in their unbreakable webbing. 

"Leave Kat alone!" Kahva yelled, running over to the Pink Ranger. "Kat, wake up, please!" she pleaded with the still unmoving blonde. "You have to snap out of this!" 

"I've had enough of you, you annoying little pest," the monster snarled. In the blink of an eye, the monster pounced upon Kahva, yanking her away from Kat. "Mondo didn't say you had to be intact, wimp." 

"Don't you _dare_ hurt her!" Tommy screamed helplessly as the Spinners struggled to imprison him in their webbing. Though his legs were completely encased now, his arms were still free and he was hitting and punching at the half dozen Spinners who were working on him for all his worth. "Kat, wake up and help us, _please!" _

"Oh, shut up!" the Monster yelled, flipping her tail at him, knocking the breath out of him. "Hold him," she commanded the Spinners. "I want him to see this. and you too, Katherine. Turn and look over here, my other half." 

Woodenly, Kat turned and stared at the Cat Monster with dull eyes, her face void of any expression. "Watch this Kat, you should remember this move. You used it on the former Blue Ranger, after all." Whirling back to Kahva, the beast bared claws and fangs, then raked Kahva's chest and stomach with blinding speed before flicking her tail, sending the injured girl flying through the air once again towards the forest. This time, however, a Spinner shot webbing at her in mid-air, yanking her out of sight in an instant. "Enjoying the show, Tommy? Or should I just call you 'Loser'? Take him away!" the monster ordered the Spinners who held him. Walking back to Kat, the monster turned the still entranced Pink Ranger around to look at Tommy. "Wave bye-bye to the boyfriend, Pinky!" Cat Monster laughed, taking Kat's wrist and making her hand flop about in a poor wave. "You are going home to Zedd and Rita!" 

"Kat!" Tommy screamed even as the Spinners dragged him out of sight. "We love you! I love you! Remember that! We all love you!" 

"Don't make me sick," the monster growled as Tommy's cries suddenly ceased. "Finally," she purred. "Now it's just you and me, Katherine." She flipped her tail again, and Kat shook her head, finally coming out of the strange trance she'd been in. "What have you done with my friends, what did you do to them!" Kat demanded. "You aren't real, you can't me! You were created by Rita and Zedd's magic, and could only exist because_ I _was their prisoner then! The Power Rangers destroyed you, you can't be real!" 

In answer, the Cat Monster knocked Kat flat to the ground. "Can't tell me _that_ didn't feel real, kitty," she purred threateningly. "As for how I exist again, well, we can discuss that later," her nightmarish alter ego declared. "But as for where your friends are... they're right here!" Six hideous, pulsating cocoons appeared in a row in front of the Monster. "All ready to be delivered to Rita and Zedd... compliments of you and me, my evil other half!" the monster exclaimed triumphantly, leaping up easily into a nearby tree to stare down at Kat. 

Kat recoiled from the very notion. "No way! I'm not evil anymore! I don't work for them, I won't work for them, ever again! I won't let you take my friends to them! I'm not evil!" she screamed at her former evil monster form. For some reason, however, Kat was finding it difficult to believe her own words. _This is my trial, so she can't be real! Can she?_

"Ah, but you _are_ evil," the Monster purred, leaping from its perch and slinking closer to her. "You are evil incarnate, my dear girl. I know, believe me, I know. I was a part of you, surely you haven't forgotten just how big a part of you I was? I was a major part of you, and I always will be." 

"No." Kat breathed, not wanting to believe the hideous creature before her. "I broke Rita's spell." _This isn't real, it can't be real. Please don't let this be real! Tommy! I need you!_

"Yes, that's what Rita and Zedd have always let you believe. But just to humor you, let's pretend you're really and truly not evil," the monster snickered. "You're still a bad apple. Think about it, little Kitty-Kat. You've always brought bad luck, and bad events, to the team. And of course to Tommy, though it's not as if he can't find enough personal ill fortune all on his own." Cat Monster flashed a sickly smile, and chuckled, "Yes, I know you want Tommy here so bad. 'Tommy, I need you, help me, oh help!' HA! You're pathetic, always wanting 'Mr. Hero' Tommy to save you, so you don't have to break a nail. You are a complete failure as a Ranger! But then, those who are evil, never can do the good routine right. And like I said. You've always brought bad luck to everybody and anybody who gets close to you. That's all you'll ever bring to those you pretend to love: bad, hurtful things." 

"That's not true!" Kat exclaimed, her voice shaking a bit now. No matter how hard she tried not to believe the evil creature before her, no matter how hard she tried to ignore its words, a small voice in the back of her mind kept repeating,_ She's right. And you know it._

"Oh yes it is," the beast purred nastily. "Are you forgetting your own history?" With a harsh laugh, the monster began to circle the young blonde. "Well then, let me give you a few examples to refresh your memory." The beast drew herself up with evil pride and smugness as she began to list certain bad events. "First off, weren't they were celebrating your birthday when Master Vile turned back time?" It wasn't a question, but a verbal stab, and the stricken look on Kat's face told the monster her blow had arrowed in clean and deep. "Just think, if it hadn't been for you, they could've stopped him in time. The Command Center would never have been blown up, The Rangers would never have lost their powers. Also, do you remember Aisha? Allegedly your best friend? If you all hadn't had to go on a quest for the Zeo Crystal fragments, she wouldn't have felt forced to stay in the middle of nowhere, sending back a mere novice to take her place. Billy wouldn't have been injured in the Command Center explosion. Who knows, Mondo and Machina might not have even attacked this world, ever!" 

Kat made a few strangled sounds that might have been denials, but the monster ignored them. "But the past is the past, little Kitty-Kat, let's talk a bit about the present here, shall we? Kahva kept trying to convince all of you that something was wrong at the carnival, but none of you would listen to her. _ You_, Kat, however, could've gotten through to Tommy, but you didn't. _You_ didn't want him to believe her, you just wanted to have a good time, all alone with your boyfriend!" With each word the creature spoke, Kat flinched farther and farther back, her heart pounding and her soul feeling smaller and smaller. She wanted to deny it all, to say it hadn't happened like that, but she couldn't get the words to come out, nor stop the voice inside her head that was saying the Cat Monster was telling the truth. 

"Because of _you_, who knows what really happened between her and that clone? Kahva will never tell, because she knows you will keep everyone from believing anything she says ever again! And Sheena, dear Silver Ranger leader Sheena. Because of _you_, because of _your_ actions at the carnival, Zimmer Delnas was able to steal Sheena away without interference! Because of you, Billy will probably die a broken man, never able to love anyone ever again! All because you only care about _yourself_, Katherine. Just like all other truly evil beings." Kat's eyes blazed, and she finally managed to utter a sentence. "I am _not_ evil!" 

"Ah, yes, there it is!" the Monster laughed. "The classic state of denial! By the way, have I thanked you yet for helping me to capture all of your friends that you claim to so dearly love?" Rewarded with a flash of pain across her prey's face, the beast flashed a nasty smile, digging her verbal talons deeper into Kat's heart. "You just stood there and did _nothing_! It was child's play to capture them all! Face it Katherine, you're worthless! You were never worthy to become a Power Ranger, because you never had what it truly takes to be one! When the chips are down, you can't make any kind of true sacrifice of yourself for anyone but you! You're gutless! Why else would you have _let_ your friends be captured? The only person you give a single care about is _yourself!" _

_Let them go right now! I'll rip you apart if you don't let them go right now!_ Kat's mind screamed, but the words still would not come out. As she tried again to demand their freedom aloud, the monster laughed at her plight derisively. "That's not true! I'm not evil!" was the only thing Kat could get out through the tears which were beginning to well up in her eyes. _This can't be real! But if it isn't. why is she still here? Tommy, I need you! Somebody help me, please!_

"Not evil? Not evil! You've got to be kidding! You're me, remember? We're from the same litter, we're the same cat!" the monster taunted her. Suddenly draping a motley arm about Kat's shoulders, the creature purred, "Do you know what I'm going to do with your alleged friends? I'm going to do the same thing you would've done to them back when you worked for Rita, if you hadn't failed her. I'm going to give them to her and Zedd. to be executed." 

Kat shook her head harshly, her entire being focusing on the creature in front of her. "You're not going to do anything to them!" A tiny flame was burning in her heart and soul now, a light that embraced her with the truth of her nature: she was not evil, nor was she still serving evil. _And I won't serve evil again, I won't!_

"Face it, Katherine!" the monster snorted. "You're not even good at being bad! You failed Rita, and now you've failed your friends! But this time... perhaps this time you haven't failed... you _are_ responsible for all of this, after all, and you know it!" 

"You're the one to blame for this, not me!" Kat countered, making a quick dash to the pulsing cocoons, only to have her way blocked by a full dozen flitting Spinners. "I won't let you have them!" 

"You really have to learn to get rid of that selfish streak of yours," the monster snarled out a taunting laugh. "Show her the ones she claims are her friends!" 

One by one, the odd creatures the monster called Spinners pulled away a small amount of the webbing on each cocoon, revealing the face of an unconscious Ranger. "There's your precious Tommy," the monster snickered, even stopping to stroke his cheek with false tenderness, her talon tracing his handsome features. "The man you always wanted, but had to steal to get. Steal the pink powers, steal his love. He and Kim could very well be married by now, if not for your interference. Then there's Rocky, whose heart you've probably stolen over and over again, along with Billy's and Adam's, most likely. They probably ogled you from the moment you appeared on the scene. Now that Rocky and Adam have faced their truths, you steal their personal victories away from them, shame on you!" 

"No!" Kat screamed. "Shut up! I didn't do anything!" 

"Exactly," the monster sneered. "That's how I captured everyone, remember? You've stolen everything the whole team has gained from passing their trials by doing nothing but to stare. How did Tanya put it? 'So mindlessly' at me. Yes, you've stolen her victory, and Tommy's as well. Thanks to you, Jason nor Billy will even get a shot at theirs, which means Sheena is lost forever!" With a flick of a claw, the beast ordered the faces of the helpless Rangers covered up again. 

_She hasn't shown me Kahva, if Kahva's free, then we still have hope, she can shift us all out of here,_ Kat thought wildly, her heart clawing for one last hope, frantically trying to keep the tiny flame in her heart stoked. 

"Poor little Kitty-Katherine, you wouldn't be hoping for help from that wimp Zordon spawned, would you?" Kat's former evil monster self laughed derisively, doubling over with exaggerated mirth. "Drag out the child!" 

Kat's heart froze up as a cocoon was promptly dragged unceremoniously from the forest, and like the others, a small amount of webbing was pulled away long enough for Kat to see Kahva's still, unmoving features. Once satisfied the Pink Ranger had seen enough, they then spat out more of their vile webbing and closed the opening in the cocoon. "Toss the shrimp back into the forest, Mondo didn't pay me enough to leave her out where she'd be easy to find, much less bring the stupid idiot to him!" 

"Shut up! Don't talk about her like that!" Kat cried, trying to reach Kahva's cocoon before the Spinners could discard it, but failed. The sound of her bound body thudding into the forest growth assaulted Kat's ears, weighing down her heart more and more as the tiny flame inside her began to dim. 

Her monster half simply shook her head in amused disgust. "Why shouldn't I talk about her like that? You were the one who didn't let anyone else believe her at the carnival, so obviously you think she's stupid too!" 

"No I don't!" Kat shouted back at her former evil self, her words her only weapon now. "I don't know why I didn't really believe her at the carnival, but the only one who is stupid here is me, for not trusting and believing her to start with!" 

"For once, we agree on something," Cat Monster purred. "Oh, I never did complete my list of all the things you've stolen, did I? How stupid of me!" she laughed. "Like human, like monster, I suppose. If you weren't stupid, maybe I wouldn't have forgotten." 

"Shut up!" 

"Let's see," the horrid beast continued, ignoring Kat for the moment. "You've stolen personal victory from the Rangers who've passed their trials, not to mention you've stolen freedom and long life from everyone," it purred merrily, delighting in tearing Kat down. "You've also stolen any chance Billy ever had of seeing his wife again, which means you stole her from him, basically." 

"NO!" _ Oh God, this is real, this can't be a trial, she's really going to take them from me! But I can't stop her without my powers! Somebody help me, please! Keeper, somebody, anybody, please help me save my friends!_

"And then there's Zordon," Cat Monster smiled. "He finally finds out after fifteen thousand years that he does have a child, and you've stolen her from him. You've stolen all your friends from their parents, when it comes right down to it. But none of them ever had to wait fifteen thousand years in a warp tube to find out their family hadn't all died out, except for Ninjor and himself. When you do something, Kitty-Kat, you sure don't do it by halves! Congratulations, you're more evil and self-centered than Rita and Zedd ever dreamed you could be!" 

_Katherine, how could you let this happen to your teammates, your friends?_

Kat whirled around at the sound of the ethereal voice, blood draining from her face, the tiny flame of determination that had kept her going starting to sputter out. "Sh-Shada? How is it that you're here - Shada, help me, please! She's got my -" 

_You no longer have the right to call me by name, descendant. You have failed, and failed miserably! _ Cold eyes burned in the spirit of the Tourmaline Ranger. Cold, fiery eyes that threatened to burn Kat with their icy contempt right where she stood. _ I am ashamed to share blood and power with you! You should never have been given the Pink Power by Kimberly, she should have waited until some truly worthy heir of mine could have been found. Even if that meant the Pink Power would have to go unused for a very long time. You are a disgrace, Katherine!_ the spirit softly roared. 

"No, Shada, please don't say that! I've tried hard, I have!" Kat sobbed. But the voice deep in her head laughed at her attempt to defend herself, echoing Shada's words until the Pink Ranger felt they would twist and crush her, break her soul into countless pieces. _I am worthless, the monster was right! Even my own ancestor is disgusted by me! _

You've tried? Tried? Not hard enough. You have lost everything and everyone Katherine, all because you're too selfish, to cowardly to think of anyone other than yourself. It is good the Rangers will be executed, they will not have to live long knowing that you betrayed them in the end. The spirit started to rise and float away slowly then, her cold eyes stabbing into Kat's heart over and over again. _You have never deserved anyone's love; certainly not mine. Don't even bother to ask me to help you undo what you alone have done. _ Then, in a moment of odd sympathy, the spirit finished, _Only you can find the fire inside._

"Yeah, find a fire inside and burn yourself up, Kitty-Kat!" the monster snorted. "Even that old spirit hates you! Everyone will, once they learn what you've done today!" The monster draped an arm about Kat's shoulder briefly, laughing triumphantly in her ear, "Think about it, remember everything that you've done today, little Kitty-Katherine... You know I'm speaking the truth. You've all lost, and everything is all your _fault."_

_Kat!_ Tommy's scream rang out from somewhere in her memory. _We love you! I love you! Remember that! We all love you!_

"Tommy." she murmured, tears slowly falling from her eyes. "I've failed you all, and now I've lost the quest, and all of you." _Sheena, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, please hear me and know I am so very sorry. If not for me, they could have rescued you. I've failed everybody. _ Soft sobs tried to choke her then, but Kat was determined that if nothing else, she would not give the monster before her the satisfaction of seeing her fall into a total breakdown. _I just stood there while they all tried to help me. I don't deserve such friends._ The images of everything that had happened while she'd been helplessly locked inside herself, once blurry and fuzzy, except for Tommy's last shout, suddenly flooded her mind with painful clarity. One by one, each of them had tried to help her, knowing that their efforts might be in vain, but still more than willing to do it for Kat, because of friendship, loyalty. _ Love. because of love, they put themselves into danger. For me. Jason. Adam. Billy. Tanya. Rocky. Kahva. Tommy. Oh Tommy. _

Only you can find the fire inside. came back her ancestor's words, mixed with the memories of her friends efforts to help her. _ Only you can find the fire inside. _

How! How do I find something I don't know if I've ever had! Shada! Kat could only stare as the beast continued to mock her while drawing the cocoons imprisoning her friends closer to itself. "Only you can find the fire inside." she breathed softly the words her ancestor had spoken, the spark in her soul flaring back up. _That wasn't Shada, she would never have talked to any of us like that! But the fire inside. She was right._

It could've been seconds or an eternity, to the Pink Ranger they were all one and the same. Instead of breaking her down, the last words of her ancestor and Tommy, and the memories of what her friends had tried to do for her, filled her soul with strength, courage, love. _Love. With love, one can do anything. _ The tiny flame burned brighter and brighter in her heart, finally showing her the truth she so dearly needed to learn. _I CAN do it. I always have been able to do it. I can do it. And I will. God help me, I will!_

Kat's eyes locked onto the Cat Monster with an eerie intensity, the fire in her heart and soul fairly blazing in them with a truth and clarity that was nearly frightening. If the Cat Monster had turned to look at her, it would have actually been shaken to its malevolent core. _The beast is close to the edge of the cliff... _ Kat had no powers to call upon, only the strength of her body, the love in her heart, and the courage in her soul. A desperate plan came into being in that moment. _I never thought these trials would push us to this, but it doesn't matter. I don't care if this is a trial, or real any more. If this is what it costs, to get my friends back and to save Sheena, then I'll pay it. Any cost at all..._

She didn't say anything, she didn't want to give the monster any hints. If it truly was her, it would know what she was doing anyway, and she didn't care. Every beat of her heart told her this was what she had to do... 

She jumped. She jumped right at the Monster, taking it by surprise with her kamikaze-style assault. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE THEM!" The monster's reflexes were truly cat-like, and the Pink Ranger could feel its arms and tail tightening around her body as they both hurtled off the edge of the cliff, plummeting to the broken, rocky ground far below them. _I wouldn't have done this if there were any other way,_ flashed through her mind. _But to save my friends, so they can save Sheena, and together, they can protect the world... It's worth it. Good-bye Tommy... I love you, always..._

Kat could hear faint voices calling from above, but they, and any other sounds, save the beast's angry, disbelieving howling, had long since ceased to have any meaning. Only the endless rush of air past her ears, and the need to grip the monster until the bitter end, to make sure it could never harm her beloved friends ever again, meant anything at all. _Things are worth what they cost,_ she knew even more fully now, _and death can be a small price to pay... but worth it for this, oh, so very worth it..._

Shock radiated up her arms as the monster landed on the pointed rocks coating the ground... and she landed on the cliff top with the others. Her mind barely was able to comprehend the fact that Adam and Tanya were at the cliff's edge, staring down, and that Tommy had run over to her, and was cradling her in his trembling arms. 

"Kat! Kat!" he whispered, his arms hugging her closer and closer. "Kat, are you okay?" 

Slowly, Kat's senses returned to her. "T-Tommy?" she murmured. "W... what happened?" 

"You passed your trial, young warrior. You were willing to sacrifice your very life to save your friends," the Keeper's voice sounded all around them. "Questors, I know this was the most intense trial you have all yet lived through, but this you must know before you go another step. These trials are, in the main, illusion: but only in the end. Until the moment the one who is being tried learns and grasps the essence of the truth hidden in themselves which is revealed by the trial, thus proving their worth. they are very real, and the consequences of failure are equally real. Certain parts of the trial are real, will be real, and certain are not, will not be. Which is which, shall be revealed only when the trial itself is intended." 

Rocky shivered a little as the voice echoed. "Why are they so intense?" he murmured. "Why was _Kat's_ so intense?" 

"The trials have been and will be what they need to be, for whom they need to be, nothing more, nothing less, Rocky. Were they not, then they would not be true trials, would they? And how can one find the truth, if one is only led to lies?" the Keeper's voice was gentle. "Remember, you are fighting for the freedom of your friend, and freedom is never won without great battles, and sometimes, at great cost," the Keeper paused, her voice seeming to rest upon Kat at for a few moments. "Remember that, now and for always. I will see you at the ending of the trials... one way or the other." 

As the Keeper's voice faded, everyone tried to take comfort in her words and relax a little. Each of them understood one thing the Keeper had said very clearly: the trials would be what they needed to be for the one being tested, but they would not be something impossible to pass for that person. if they found their own truth. Adam broke the silence first, looking all around them with a puzzled expression. "So where's the trail? Every time we've passed one of these trials, the next part of the trail has been revealed. Kat's passed hers, so where is it?" 

For her own part, Kat had been quickly glancing over her friends, checking to see that they were none the worse for wear from their imprisonment, doing a mental automatic headcount at the same time. She blanched, and her heart skipped several beats when she came up one member short. "Um, guys, I've got a better question... Where's Kahva?" 

Had the situation been vastly different, the sight of all the Rangers wearing identical blank looks would have been most comical. Everyone paused and stared all around them. "The last I saw of her was when she got knocked over there," Rocky pointed back the way they had come, frowning. 

"The Cat Monster did toss her over there, I think," the Sapphire Ranger agreed. "Let's go check it out." 

Tommy and Kat exchanged pained looks, with Tommy finding his voice first. "No, she got out of there, and went after the monster -" 

"Trying to save me," Kat finished softly. All too painfully, the memory of the Cat Monster clawing at Kahva's chest and stomach played back before her eyes. "Do you think that this could be what the Keeper meant about, 'which is which, shall be revealed only when the trial itself is intended'? Could Kahva's not being here at the end of my trial be one of the consequences she meant?" 

"But you passed," Adam tried to protest. Silence engulfed them for a few moments, then Kat hurried over to where she'd last seen Kahva's cocoon flying into the forest, when the Spinners had tossed her away at Cat Monster's command. "Kat? Kat!" 

"She's got to be in here, she's got to!" Kat snapped. "Come on, everybody!" she shouted, crashing headlong into the forest. The others needed no further urging, and rushed in after her, shoving and yanking aside branches and brush in a frantic search for their missing teammate. 

They hadn't searched for more than a few minutes, when a severely vine-entangled Kahva, suspended in mid-air, met their eyes. Kat had to fiercely force down the shiver that threatened to paralyze her; the vines had Kahva trapped almost like the cocoon had. _If she's hurt, I'll never forgive myself... _ At the look on Kahva's face though, Kat found herself holding back bubbly laughter of relief. 

"What took you so long?" Kahva said almost dryly, arching an eyebrow at her companions. "Look, don't pull me out of here, guys. The trail comes this way, all you have to do is head out right behind me. It just appeared a few minutes ago, after the vines fell away from my face." 

"Well, we do have to get you out of there first, at least," Jason said sensibly, starting to rip at the vines carefully. "Unless you like being tangled up in vines." 

"Well, I had considered just 'hanging around' here," she deadpanned, earning groans from every one of the Rangers. 

"That's worse than any of Rocky's bad puns!" Tommy shook his head, trying hard not to laugh in spite of himself. 

"Just trying to live down to his example," Kahva came back, getting a good-natured raspberry from Rocky as a reward. Everyone welcomed the return of their friend's sharp wit, but as he watched her eyes, Billy couldn't help but feel that the humor was a show for their benefit, a show very well rehearsed indeed. He made no mention of his suspicions though, as they all worked to free Kahva from the numerous stubborn vines wound securely about her body. As Kahva's smile quickly faded during her rescue, and her shell visibly came up around her once again, Billy knew for a fact he was right. 

It took a few minutes, but soon they had Kahva free enough that she could tumble safely into Tommy and Adam's arms. With their way now clear, they could see the next part of the trail leading ahead of them, winding away from the forested mountains and deep into a thick, vibrantly green jungle. A sparkling ribbon of crystal blue water stretched out beside it, and they all eagerly made their way to the river. All of them had gained a few more bumps and bruises from this last trial, and badly wanted to wash their injuries off, and get some water to drink. As they all tidied up as best they could, Billy mused aloud if the river was fed by the stream they had found earlier. Hearing him slip into his scientist mode relaxed everyone greatly, and all hoped that Billy's own spirits had risen a bit as well. Rather belatedly, the guys realized that Kahva and Kat both had moderately ripped up shirts, and very carefully averted their eyes from the girls to give them some measure of dignity. The ripped clothing served as a sobering reminder of just how real some parts of the trials could be, and the earlier tensions settled over the group again. 

Kahva was carefully stretching out her limbs a little off to one side, working out some of the muscle pains that had come from being tossed around, then hung up like a smoked ham for several minutes, when she heard a soft gasp. She glanced up as Kat winced in pain, slowly moving out of the stretch she'd just tried to do with her back. 

"Kat? Is something wrong?" Kahva almost flinched as the words passed her lips, _What am I doing? That was a stupid question! _ Kahva could feel all of the eyes on Kat and herself just then, and the urge to run and hide was nearly irresistible._ Why do they ever want to have me around? Why am I here, I always mess things up, why was I even brought on this quest? David was the better choice, why did the Keeper bring me? _ Kahva steeled herself though; she had to know for sure if something was wrong with Kat. _I'll never forgive myself if she's hurt and I ignored it._ "Are you hurt?" 

The Pink Zeo Ranger nodded quietly, moving very carefully now. "I think I scratched my back up some in that fight." Kahva winced instinctively herself; she'd been brought up to date on what had happened while she'd been trussed up in the woods. 

Moving over to their older friend, and away from the male members of the party, who were being sternly herded away by Tanya, Kat flipped up the back of her shirt a little, displaying several deep scratches, of which fortunately only a few were bleeding. 

"I think I can take care of that," Kahva whispered softly, closing her eyes, putting her hands palms together in front of her chest, almost in a prayerful position. 

"How?" Kat asked, looked back over her shoulder at Kahva, but the young woman seemed oblivious to everything and everyone now. It was all Kat could do not to jump with startlement when Kahva suddenly opened her eyes and stared intensely at Kat's injured back. "Kahva?" 

_Focus, let the power around you join you, join it, two are truly one. _came Master Madas' words to her._ Together you shall find the energy that pains, draw it out, encourage the energy that heals to take its place. Lose yourself, then focus together. Embrace the energy, embrace who you are, transcend the limits your mind and body, embrace, focus, let go, the singular is nothing without the whole._ Kahva's hands first rested lightly on Kat's back, so lightly that Kat wasn't sure if the touch was real or imagined. After several moments, Kahva removed her hands from the Pink Ranger's back, but kept them close, hovering a few inches away from Kat's back. 

_Is she even breathing? _Kat wondered, but something inexplicable kept her from speaking right then. All of the other Rangers seemed to be under the same influence, for none dared break the almost mystical silence. Kahva finally lowered her hands, breathing slowly and deeply, then simply looked into Kat's eyes and nodded quietly. 

Carefully, Kat slowly stretched again, and to her wonderment, without pain this time. "Whoa!" She tried to wiggle around until she could see her back, and finally settled for Tanya's amazed confirmation: Kat's back was healed and whole, as if it had never been injured to begin with. The only reminders of the injuries were the rips in her shirt. "How'd you do that?" she gasped. 

Kat's voice held nothing but pure admiration, but being the object of it unnerved Kahva nonetheless. "That was one of the things Master Madas taught me," she murmured. "I can't do it for everything, just minor stuff like that. I can't heal a broken bone or a major disease, but I can probably handle scratches and things, if there's enough magical energy to draw on, or if the right kinds of plants and herbs to use are handy, I can try to intensify their medicinal properties. Actually," Kahva finished up, her voice getting even softer, "I think the only reason I was able to heal your back completely was because there is just so _much_ magic and energy here. It's a bit overwhelming." 

"Why didn't you tell us you could do this?" Adam asked, his voice holding the same admiration and amazement Kat's had. "This is something wonderful!" 

"I - I. I just didn't think it was something all that important, is all. I mean, I can't do anything like this back on Earth, there's not enough magic to draw on. This place," Kahva said, indicating the world they were on, "it's kinda like a magical source on some serious steroids, even Eltar doesn't feel like this, and it's a pretty incredible place in and of itself." _ Besides, I didn't want you all to think of me as some kind of freak, _the thought came unbidden to her mind. _ Too many people freak out on Eltar at the sight of me as it is, I couldn't stand it if you guys did the same thing, even though I know you all wouldn't mean it if you did. At least, I hope not. With the way everyone acted at the carnival, now I'm not so sure about anything anymore._

"It's okay," Billy said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Instead of comforting her though, Billy's words only seemed to make her more ill at ease. He smiled, trying to break the tension starting to build back up again around them. "Too bad it doesn't work on shirts, though," he attempted to joke. 

Before his comment even ended, two shirts, identical to the ones Kat and Kahva were wearing appeared by the riverbank. "I think someone heard you," Kat laughed nervously. "Come on, Kahva, let's go get changed." The older girl nodded silently and they retrieved their new shirts, heading a little ways down the riverbank to dodge behind some bushes to change, Tanya keeping guard again, just to play it safe. 

_Thanks, Keeper, _Kahva sent mentally, not knowing if the Keeper could hear her or not, but wanting to thank her just the same. _ A shirt that's not ripped up will keep them from spotting this by accident,_ she thought to herself, carefully removing her shirt. On her stomach were three long scratches, about as deep as Kat's had been, and two more crossing just under her collarbone. Invoking the same healing ritual on herself as she had used on Kat, Kahva managed to get the scratches nearly completely healed. When she removed her hands from her stomach and chest and looked at her reflection in the river, she could see that the scratches were now very light and minor, though they still hurt quite a bit. _Doesn't work as well on yourself, just like Master Madas warned, but it's good enough. My pain doesn't count anyway, Kat is the one who nearly died! No, the others don't need to know about this, my getting scratched up isn't important. Besides, if they found out, it would upset Kat too much, and none of it was her fault at all. I can't let anything spoil her passing her trial, we've come too far to let something upset or get any of them down now._ As she put on her new shirt, her torn one disappeared without a trace. "Tidying up behind us even now, Keeper?" Kahva chuckled softly. 

"I think she is," Kat smiled, having changed into her new shirt as well. "Kahva. Did the Cat Monster hurt you badly?" she asked gently. "Your shirt was so torn up, and. and I remember her clawing at you -" 

"Just some light scratches are all I have," Kahva assured her. _That's all that's there now._ "Don't worry about it." 

Kat didn't look completely convinced, but she took Kahva at her word as they headed back to where the others were waiting. "Thank you again, Kahva. You are wonderful," she smiled at the older girl. Kahva gave a small smile in return, but didn't say anything as they approached their teammates. 

Tommy smiled as they came up, immediately putting his arm around Kat to give her an affectionate hug. "You're good to have around, Kahva!" he smiled at the quiet young woman. "Thanks for everything." Giving both Kat and Kahva quick kisses on the cheek, he called out cheerfully, "Come on, guys... five of us down, three more to go!" 

As they all started down the trail after Kat and Tommy, the only three who had not yet been tested couldn't help but exchange worried looks. Jason, Billy and Kahva all bit their lips almost in unison, a universal sign of upset. _Who's next_, they all wondered. Who would have their deepest fear and darkest worries dredged up? Who would next feel the pain of the trials... and hopefully draw them closer to their ultimate goal?

* * *

"Hey, come on, cheer up everybody! It's a cinch to gear up for the last trials now," Rocky proclaimed rather confidently. 

"How do you figure that?" 

"Easy bro," Rocky answered Jason. "The second we see monsters, maniac evil plants, or get caught in an earthquake, landslide or volcano going ballistic, we're in another trial! It's a dead giveaway -" Rocky stopped, looking ahead at Kat with an apologetic look. "Whoops, sorry Kat, bad choice of words there," he apologized, as everyone thought back to her could-have-been-fatal plunge off of the cliff. "Forgive me?" 

"It's okay," Kat smiled. "You can make up for it easily." 

"How?" 

"As soon as we get attacked by monsters or some really bad natural disaster, you can jump into it first and clear the way for the rest of us." 

"Oh gee, thanks Kat!" Rocky groaned teasingly. The banter kept up between the members of the group who had already been tried, but the last three kept silent for the most part, finding it difficult not to worry over what may lay in store for them. 

As the Gold Ranger hiked along, he found his mind turning after a while to thoughts of Kahva, Sheena, and the differences between the world they had grown up in, and the world he'd always known. 

_It's so strange. Things seem to run fairly close from that TV show to our reality in this world, but there are vast differences. I didn't just reappear in Angel Grove with no explanation, I came home because I was sick and tired of Switzerland. We did a lot of good there, but it wasn't home. I belong in Angel Grove. The show never said anything about that, not according to what Kahva told us._

He moved a tree branch as they walked along, continuing along that line of thought, delving deeper and deeper into it. _And that 'negative proton' crap with Billy and the Gold powers. That's not how it happened, that's not how it happened at all! Maybe in some other universe the laws of science are totally screwed up, but not here! Everyone knows negative protons don't exist. Even at their worst moments in grade school, Bulk and Skull would've been able to tell those people that. Well, at least, I'm pretty sure they could have. You'd just have to find them at a time back then when they weren't causing trouble. Man, they have really turned themselves around! Almost like what Kahva described from the show. but better over here, much better. _

Jason smiled faintly, just faintly, to himself as he thought about how things had happened in this universe. Kahva had filled them all in on the "Zeo season" in their world, which Sheena had never seen. She had been brought into their world just after the world had been brought back into normal time after the Zeo Quest. Sheena had kept tabs on Angel Grove, but naturally hadn't known about the inner details of what had happened until her own ascension to the Power. 

Several months before the Silver Ranger had been so suddenly spun into their lives, Pyramidas had crash-landed on Earth, in the desert. Trey had teleported to the Power Chamber, demorphing and revealing his identity to the Rangers in a desperate attempt to keep himself alive, but he had still been forced to split into his three selves nonetheless. Billy had teleported to the ship to repair it, while the Treys fought to keep hold of the Gold Power in the Power Chamber with help from the united Zeo Crystal to keep them stabilized. 

But their efforts were only delaying the destabilization of the powers, not stopping it. The only solution was for someone to take the powers, but it couldn't be a Ranger who currently held a Zeo Power. The Rangers tried to call on Billy, to come back and claim the Golden power in place of Trey. _What they hadn't known then was that Mondo had been watching everything, and that he had sent several Cogs and Klank to take the ship for his own. With most of the systems down, capturing it was relatively easy, and capturing Billy was almost as effortless, he didn't have any way to defend himself against so many Cogs. _ Klank had placed a device in the ship to block teleportation, then had the Cogs chain Billy to a bomb in the main control room, since they had failed at figuring out how to operate it. _ One thing about Mondo, he's fairly predictable. His basic motto is, if he can't have it, he'll destroy it. That time though, he decided he was going to take out the Rangers tech wiz at the same time. I never realized the villains we've battled against could be so cold. Granted, Billy wasn't a total innocent, he was a Ranger, in a non-traditional sense, but for Mondo or anyone to so coldly order the death - no, murder, of someone without powers. _The memories sent chills racing down Jason's spine. _That's when I came into all of this, that's how I was brought back in, not like the way they showed it on that TV show._

The Gold Ranger nearly stopped in his tracks as the memories played back in his mind with unnerving clarity. _Without Billy to help them out, Tommy left to get me; I'd only just recently returned to Angel Grove. They all believed it would be easier to get a former Ranger for the power than someone entirely new, since that way the person would have some experience, which would make up for the unfamiliarity of the powers themselves._ Jason sighed, then nodded to himself. _ As far as that goes, it was the right decision. Trey conferred the power to me, promising that he would return one day for them, when he had reunited his three parts back into a single, trifold being. _ It had seemed to be a simple, clear-cut mission then at that point: rescue Billy so he could take the Gold Power._ He'd chosen to give up his claim to a Zeo Power, but had continued to work for the betterment of the team, he deserved to get the power so much. _Together, the six Rangers had gotten on board Pyramidas, and while the others had fought to clear the Cogs out, Jason had made his way to the control room, guided by the Power that now coursed through his veins. _ I found Billy there, chained up, with that bomb on him. We came so close to losing him forever. _ The memory was so clear and vivid, it made Jason shake with fear all over again. _He talked me so quietly and calmly through the disarming of the bomb, how on Earth did he stay so calm! Once everyone and everything was safe again, I tried to give the powers, but he refused._ His best friend had told him that they were his now, that Trey had entrusted the powers to him, and he wouldn't take them from him. 

_And I guess that was a good thing after all, _he thought, stretching a little as he jumped over a fallen log, then turned to help Kahva over it with a gallant smile, reaching out to take her hand. _Billy got his own powers in the end. But Trey needs these I'm using to defend his planet. I mean, he - they were so pale when they teleported into the Power Chamber. I think they might need these powers to live! _ Jason had always known what he would do, but thinking over everything reaffirmed his previous decision: as soon as it was physically possible to do so, he would give the powers back. _ They don't really belong to me, after all, and I can't keep them forever._

"Of course you can't keep them," a chilly voice spoke, and he looked up to see a familiar young man standing not that far from him. A young man, who were they anywhere else, Jason would have called him friend. But the tone of the newcomer's voice clearly denoted him as an enemy. "Then again, everything you've got now, you can't keep. _ Because none of it is yours._ None of it ever has been, and yet you still want more! Aren't you _ever_ satisfied!" 

_Where did Kahva go, how did he get here! _Jason stared, first at the near stranger from another universe before him, then all around him, suddenly aware that the others were missing as well. _ Where is everybody, what is going on!_ In the space of a heartbeat or less, he had been left utterly alone, save for the young man standing before him: Daniel Whitley. "I don't know what you're talking about, man!" he declared. 

Daniel snorted with disgust at the Gold Ranger, stepping closer to him. "Oh, _sure_ you don't. That's just like you Jason, all muscles, no brain. And quite frankly, your muscles aren't all that impressive anymore," he snickered, favoring Jason with a mocking stare. "Zordon did a little research into your past after you guys left, and he found out a few interesting things about you. That's why he sent me, he couldn't send any of the defense force. They're too busy doing your job, protecting the planet. Zordon finally found out the truth about you, and he sent me to stop you. Heck, after the Keeper heard the truth about you from Zordon, she herself gladly reached to my universe and brought me over. She doesn't like people who hide things either." 

"You're lying!" Jason growled, clenching his fists in anger. "I haven't done anything!" 

"Oh, haven't you?" Daniel tossed his head in contempt. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Back to when Tommy lost his powers the first time, perhaps? You weren't _really_ trying to get the Green Candle back, now were you? You _knew _Tommy was a threat to your leadership, to your control over the team. You'd wanted to get rid of him for months, and you just couldn't find a way to do it. But then Rita did it for you, didn't she? All you had to do was just be a little slow at the right moment. I have to hand it to you, Jason. You're a better actor that anyone would ever suspect. No one has ever been none the wiser. until now." 

Jason wanted to shout denials to the skies, but just as Kat had been before during her trial, he was mute as Daniel continued his vicious litany. "When Zordon recalled Tommy to service and made him the White Ranger later on, you _knew_ your time as leader was over with. You had to watch Rita's handpicked Ranger taking over your team, your friends, your warriors. and there was nothing you could do about it. Nothing at all." 

Daniel smiled as Jason's face suffused with blood, and he stepped even closer to the angry Ranger. "Then when you came back, Tommy was even stronger than he'd been as White Ranger. You liked the fact he had to come running to you for help, and you plotted to pay Rocky back for taking your place, _your_ rightful place as the Red Ranger all that long ago. You wanted his spot as the current second in command, if you couldn't be leader again. Either leader, or leader's best friend, that was what you wanted. You couldn't, you wouldn't settle for anything less." Jason's accuser leaned forward a little, a smirk on his face. "Face it, you never intended to give the Gold Powers to Billy, and you will _never_ give them back to Trey, the deserving man who _truly_ owns them. You don't intend to do anything but keep them... and abuse them!" 

_No! I tried, I really tried to get the candle. I won't keep Trey's powers from him. them. _ Still, the feelings he'd buried so deeply that even he had forgotten he'd ever felt them came bubbling up to the surface. The twinge of jealousy he'd felt when Tommy had joined the team. It had been so easy to invite him in, to welcome him with open arms, and he truly had done that. But when it seemed that they were constantly having to run to their newest member to bail themselves out of trouble, or either were having to rescue him from some dark plot of Rita's, then later on, Zedd's. _And Kim just went so completely head over heels for him, never realizing the crush Billy had always had on her. or mine, either, for that matter. But I did try to get the candle, I didn't want anything bad to happen to Tommy, I didn't want him to lose his powers!_

The Gold Ranger wasn't sure if the images he saw next were real, or all playing out in his mind, but they hurt just as much as when they had happened. _It was just a school dance, one of who knows how many... Kimberly had promised two weeks earlier to go with me, she was so excited... I was excited, even though we both told everybody it was just two friends going out, nothing more... Nothing more to Kimberly, at least. Then Tommy came into our lives. Kim said she wanted to go with him, if I wouldn't mind. How could I tell her no, she couldn't go with Tommy, when I could see in her eyes how bad she had it for him that quickly? Even though she couldn't see how bad I had it for her... I went with Trini and Billy, it was the right thing to do... wasn't it? Zack had his own date, Kim and Tommy were happy, Trini, Billy and I were just friends having a good time at the dance, having fun being with all our friends... So why does it hurt so much now! God, I haven't thought about this in... in... _ Then the images swirled, and all the times Tommy had to rescue them played back over and over, all the times they had to save him from Rita, then Zedd, with the memories of the dance and the Green Candle playing out front and center. _Things were so much simpler before Tommy came into our lives..._

Jason tried to force the images and emotions down, tried to say something in his own defense, but even as his mouth moved, nothing came out of it. All he could do was listen helplessly to Daniel's voice. Darkness suddenly welled up out of nowhere, surrounding them both. The extradimensional visitor was the only thing he could see. "Let's jump to the here and now, shall we? Be honest, _Brass_ Ranger. You don't want to rescue Sheena, you never have! You were delaying everything in the carnival just so Sheena _would_ leave with Zimmer, you probably knew about him all along! You knew something was up... and you did _nothing_ about it! You wanted Tommy to feel guilty over the loss of his cousin, Billy's heart to break... and then you would walk in and take back the leadership. Jason Lee Scott, the conquering hero, back to save the day and the team once again!" 

Now, it was the memories of secret doubts and fears that attacked Jason; secret doubts of how well first Tommy, then Sheena would do as leader of the Power Rangers, fears that at any moment, either one of them could be turned evil again, and be free to tear apart the team from the inside._ It's already happened... The doubting of Kahva has torn her away from the team. Ranger or no, she's one of us, and we've lost her trust... I've lost her trust... Billy is so torn up over losing Sheena, I don't know if he'll ever be the same again if we can't get her back. And if we don't, then it's my worst nightmare come true: Sheena, lost to us, and possibly our worst enemy all over again._

A new image played in front of him then, an image of himself, morphed, his armor gleaming with the air of invincibility, standing at the fore of the team as the ultimate leader, his Golden Staff upheld mightily... all the other Rangers looking at him with sheer adulation, gratitude... love... Yes, there was Kimberly, looking at him just like she used to look at Tommy. _Before she realized they weren't meant for each other... _came the thought to his mind. Kim was on one side, Trini the other, back in their original uniforms, Tanya and Aisha, even Kat, right behind him, cheering him on. Tommy was back in his place as the Green Ranger he used to be, waiting like all the other Rangers for his orders. Rocky was back there too, eagerly awaiting Jason's orders, dressed in his Blue Zeo Ranger uniform, not a single soul was wearing the original or Zeo red uniforms, which seemed oddly comforting to Jason. _That uniform was mine... Now I'm the Gold Ranger... Me, back in charge, things like they used to be..._ Whether he wanted it to or not, his heart felt warm at the sight, good. Yes... 

There was a blinding explosion of light from his staff, and the Treys were united, begging him to keep the Gold Powers. Another explosion and Sheena was running up to him, thanking him for her release from Zimmer, and from the burden of leadership. Billy was practically at his feet, pouring out his heart in gratitude for the salvation of his wife. There was Zordon, beaming down at him from somewhere, Jason wasn't sure exactly where, congratulating him, and sending someone to him, someone running to him with open arms... _Kahva... _his heart moaned with so much... love? _ No... This isn't what I want, it can't be... _ The images beckoned to him though, tempting him, and he couldn't deny that the sight of himself standing so proudly before this most incredible team, _his_ team, felt _good_... He focused in on the figure running towards him with those loving, open arms, a smile whose light seemed to come from the sun itself. _Kahva..._ Jason reached out to embrace her - 

And the vision shattered into glass-sharp fragments, diving straight into his heart. Only his accuser stood before him now, his visage twisted with outright rage. Daniel's eyes burned with an unholy fire, as if about to bore into Jason's very soul. "And now you've stooped to the lowest of the low, Jason. You're trying to steal Kahva from me, you are trying to take away the woman I love! _I won't let you have her!_" he roared. Jarringly, Daniel abruptly started to laugh, he even smiled at Jason, placing an almost friendly hand upon his shoulder. "But, with all that power, with everyone adoring you, following you, you won't be lacking for company, now will you? You know you want it. You have to have it. It tastes sweeter than honey, more potent than any fruit from the vine... _Power_... You know you have to have it, Jason..." 

The words toyed with Jason's heart and soul, twisting inside him, preying on his mind, buried emotions... _No, I'm not like that, I can't be like that. But there have been times when I wondered what would things be like if I'd never stepped down, if Tommy had never been made leader. Good Lord, have I done everything he's said! The Green Candle had been so close, so close. _Fear, agony, heartbreak, mental pain, sadness and grief all tore into Jason's soul with every word Daniel spoke. The horrifying prospect that they could be the truth, the truth he had never known haunted him, draining the blood from his face. _Am I guilty of all this, and never knew it? Do I really want what I've seen? It all felt... so good... But I never tried to get rid of Tommy, I didn't want Sheena to run off with Zimmer! But... Did I do everything that I could have done? Do I want what I've seen? Heaven help me, I don't know what I feel anymore, what do I do! _

"Not fun to have the truth slap you in the face, is it, Jason?" Daniel laughed harshly. "Think about everything you've done, former Ranger leader. You've tried to sabotage Tommy from the very start!" Jason's accuser scowled at him angrily then. "I'll bet you're trying to tell yourself that you didn't realize what you were doing, that everything that has happened has been an accident, but I know better. I watched you and Tommy when I was here. I watched you around Kahva with Kahva. Do you have any idea how much I wanted to wipe the floor with you at Billy and Sheena's wedding? Do you! I should have saved the Rangers and Kahva a lot of grief and cleaned your clock that day! You are a miserable thief, that is all you have ever been, and all you will ever be! I hate you! They all hate you for what you've done, they're just scared to admit it!" 

"No." Jason tried to protest, but couldn't make anything else come out of his mouth. The words stuck in his throat, as if trying to choke him. _I didn't steal anything, they don't hate me... do they? _ Angry voices buffeted him, yelling and screaming at him, accusing and condemning him for his failures, jealousies and crimes against them. _No! PLEASE! I didn't do it! I didn't mean for Tommy to lose his powers, I didn't want Sheena to leave with Zimmer, please believe me!_ he screamed at them in his mind, but his denials were hurled back at him, mocking him. 

_Thief! Thief! THIEF! _

NO! I'm not a thief! I didn't do anything! 

LIAR! 

Silent tears nearly blinded Jason as he became dimly aware of Daniel stalking, prowling around him. "Then why aren't they here, helping you, trying to save you from me?" Daniel taunted. "They've all tried to help all the others before, but they have abandoned you. Even my sweet Kahva can't find it in her heart to help you anymore, she's finally seen you for who you are! You are a thief, and a faker! You should _never_ been made a Ranger. I'm just glad Zordon finally saw through your act. By having me sent here, maybe there's still a chance to save Sheena. Give up and go home, Jason. You're a thief, and thieves don't belong here. _True_ heroes, _true _leaders never steal." Daniel laughed cruelly at the anguished Ranger before him. "Search your heart, if you can find it, and you'll know I'm speaking the truth. You can't deny what's _truly_ in your heart, thief." 

_I didn't steal anything!_ his mind screamed. The Gold Ranger wanted to scream out his denial until the very mountains on this foreign planet shook and crumbled, but he still couldn't get the words to come out. _Search your heart, search your heart,_ Daniel's words echoed in his mind, taunting him endlessly. 

_Search my heart... _Jason's lips twitched for a moment; the words were tickling another memory, one older than all the others. _I've heard that before... _ He reached deep inside his mind and soul, searching... then he remembered where he'd heard the words before. _Search deep inside your heart, reach into your soul,_ his first sensei had taught him, almost ten years earlier. _ Know your heart, Jason, and all else will follow. Trust in yourself, and you will never go wrong. Believe in the right and the true. Believe in yourself. Know yourself. _

That's the answer, that's my truth. I've doubted my own actions for far too long, let what I couldn't control weigh on me. "No," he said quietly, firmly, and the force of the word shook them both. _"No._ You're wrong, Daniel. Yes, it has been hard not leading the team. I got very used to it, and I think I did a good job - no, I _know_ I did a good job -" 

"Sounds like a conceited thief to me!" chuckled Daniel, his features taut, eyes studying Jason very carefully. 

_"In my time,_" Jason continued, undeterred. There was a warmth building in his heart, a warmth that was much more satisfying than what he'd felt with the images of him as an ultimate leader. It was the warmth of his own truth, and of finally being able to be honest with himself. "Yes, there have been things that Tommy and Sheena have done that I would have done differently, but my time as leader ended the day I left for Switzerland. I'm not the person I was then, I've grown and changed, and so has everyone else. It's not my time anymore, I'm not the person for the job anymore. I didn't steal the Gold Powers from Billy, if he had ever asked for them, I would have given them to him, but he didn't. He couldn't have taken them anyway, it's a family legacy, even though none of us knew it back then. He has his own heritage now, his own power, and I wouldn't want that to change for anything. 

"As for when I came back... yes, it made Rocky uncomfortable, and I found out today he still had some problems with it. But we've talked all that out now, and I don't want anyone's place, and I haven't ever tried to take it. Besides, anyone who has the title of 'leader' isn't any more important than any of the others. We're a team, we always have been, and we always will be." 

"Tall talk for a pile of walking muscles," Jason's accuser glared at him. "You know you love the power -" 

"Yes, I did, and I do... But it is not my time anymore. I _did_ get jealous of Tommy for a little while, but not seriously. Yes, it did feel like he was trying to take my place... like Rocky felt I was taking his. But I didn't hold anything against Tommy, not ever! Rocky and I just happened to have made the same mistake all this time: we never talked out how we felt, and we both weren't truly resentful of anybody... But we both buried how we felt, instead of talking things out. I just buried mine so deep I forgot I'd ever felt anything. Rocky's feelings were just a little closer to the surface. Maybe it was because he became the Blue Ranger when they took the Zeo powers, and Billy was suddenly no longer a Ranger, maybe it's another reason entirely, but we both made the same mistake in never truly talking about how we felt. So for the record: I did feel a little jealous towards Tommy, about a lot of things... _once_. But he is my friend, and like me, he was the best leader he could be in his time." Jason was the one who laughed a little now. "Maybe wisdom comes with age or time, but I can honestly look back now and realize that the changes that happened needed to happen, and that all of them, no matter how rough they may have been, have always been for the best. We're a team, not a bunch of ego-stoking individuals. As for Kim, though I don't know if you meant to bring that memory up or not, but yes, I carried a secret crush for her for a very long time... but I know that I don't love her, not in that way. I realized that soon after she and Tommy started seriously dating, and I learned it over and over again each time I would seriously date someone else. My only mistake there with Kim was never telling her how I felt. A mistake, though not my only or most serious one, is one of which that I intend to rectify once this crisis is over." 

Jason took a deep breath, looking Daniel directly in the eyes. "As for Kahva... Yes, I care about her a great deal, I do love her... _as my friend._ I love Emily, am _in_ love with her, even though I'm not so certain if she loves me anymore right now, or ever will again," he sighed. "I would never steal anyone from the person they loved, even if I did love them myself. If I _were_ in love with Kahva, I still respect her relationship, and I respect them as friends far too much to do anything to interfere in their relationship," he smiled faintly. "Her relationship with the _real_ Daniel, that is. Not you. The real Daniel knows that I would never do anything to try and take Kahva away from him, nor will I ever hurt her." Jason stood up straight, unflinching, as he felt his inner strength returning full force. "Power, love... They are both very strong, wonderful things to feel, I'll admit that in a heartbeat. But I've never stolen them before, and I never will steal them. I _did_ do my best to get back the Green Candle, and Tommy knows it. I did _not_, and never will, try to take Rocky's place on the team. I _didn't_ let Zimmer take Sheena away from us, and I'll do my best to get her back for the team, and for Billy and Kahva's sakes, even if it kills me. And I'll never try to steal someone away from who they love, no matter what. I never tried to steal Kim, I've never tried to steal Kahva. You can't steal a person's heart, not when they truly know their own. And," he finished, smiling at last with triumph, "I _will_ keep my word to Trey. As soon as he is physically able to take back the power, united or not, I will immediately give the power back to him, no matter how much I wish I could keep it. I do like being a Ranger again," he admitted, "but when my time is over, I know I can look back now and say that I did what was right, true and honest, that I did the best that I could. That is all any of us can ever do." 

Jason steeled himself for another emotional assault, but there was none as the darkness blew away, and once again the jungle surrounded him. The Daniel in front of him bowed his head in respect, then smiled. "Good luck, Jason," he whispered, vanishing into mist, then nothingness. 

"Thanks," Jason whispered back, not sensing the hand he held in his so firmly. 

"Umm, you're welcome, but you can let go of my hand now, if you're back with us finally," Kahva's voice cut into his mind. "And if you can move now, just a bit, I can get over this log." Her dry humor hid her most of her concern, but not all. "Jason? Look, don't zone out again, you've been staring mindlessly for five minutes, wake up, please!" 

"Huh? Fi-five minutes?" Jason stammered in bewilderment. "But it was all so real. You guys didn't see any of that? Nothing at all?" he asked. "And where were you guys, anyway? I looked all around, I didn't see any of you, and Kahva, you -" The young man stopped himself then, realizing for the first time that he was holding her hand. "How did this happen, you were gone." Almost absently, Jason backed up, helping Kahva over the fallen log as he had originally intended to do, then finally released her hand. 

"We were all right here, Jase," Rocky replied with a slight grin. "You turned to take Kahva's hand and then just froze, you wouldn't let her go." Elbowing the Gold Ranger teasingly, Rocky joked more in relief than anything else, "Good thing Daniel isn't here, he might not understand. 

"No, he does," Jason replied softly, looking first at Kahva, then to the others. All returned very confused looks to him. "Are you sure you guys didn't see _any_ of that?" 

"All we saw was you staring off into space, and not letting go of Kahva's hand. We were expecting a monster ambush or some kind of natural disaster at any minute," Tommy answered. "Jase. What happened? What did you see?" 

_It would be so easy not to say a thing, I've passed the trial. But they deserve to know, especially Tommy._ "You're not going to believe this, but I saw Daniel, things from the past," Jason started, then smiled, some of his own good humor slowly returning, "myself surrounded by beautiful young women." 

"Why couldn't I have gotten that kind of vision?" Rocky groaned in mock disgust. All of them were grim-faced soon enough though, as Jason very somberly told them everything he'd seen, felt and been through. Not a single one of them could suppress the shivers that ran up and down their spines as the full impact of Jason's visions hit them. 

"Tommy, I -" 

"Don't worry about it, bro," Tommy replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "What is past, is past. I just wish you had said something sooner, I never realized how you must have felt. All of you welcomed me so eagerly, you were all so friendly, caring and compassionate." Tommy sighed, then raised an eyebrow slyly at his teammate and friend. "Kim's not going to believe you actually had a crush on her, you know. She's always thought of you as a big brother." 

"I know, but I have to tell her, and I'm going to just as soon as we get back home," Jason declared. Then he slowly turned to Kahva, taking her hands in his, praying that she wouldn't bolt away from him. "Kahva, I do like you, and I think everyone knows that, though I've never put anything into so many words. I can't imagine my life, any of our lives, without you in it. For the record: I'm in love with Emily, though she may not love me anymore. Whatever is going to happen with her will happen in its own time. I love you too, as a friend that I always want by my side and in my heart. If I wasn't in love with Emily, but found myself falling for you, I want you and everyone to know that I would _never_ interfere in your relationship with Daniel. I love you too much to hurt you like that." Before Kahva could say anything, Jason finished, "I really don't care; I honestly don't care if Emily can't handle that I love you so deeply as a friend. But I do care that it hurts her, and that everything that has happened has hurt you so much. I love Emily with all my heart, but I will not sacrifice my friends for her. I don't know how to make her understand I can love many people, but I'm going to try and talk things out with her, help her understand. Maybe we can put things back together, I want so bad for us to set things back right." Jason took a wavering breath, then said with a rush, "I love Emily, and I never wanted to hurt her, nor have you get hurt in the crossfire. Can you ever forgive me?" 

Kahva smiled a bit at long last, and actually looked Jason straight in the eyes, something she rarely did with anyone, even Sheena. "There's nothing to forgive. I love you as a friend too, Jason," she replied simply, then hugged Jason on impulse. 

No one was quite sure which was more startling, Jason's unexpected sob as he returned the hug, nearly falling into Kahva's arms, or the sudden appearance of the next part of the trail. It took them all a few moments to recover from the emotional shock of the whole incident. It was Rocky finally, who broke the touching moment. 

"What, that's it! No monsters, no earthquakes, landslides or volcanoes! No evil plants sucking you into a portal to who knows where? Jason just zones out, has visions, and pours his heart out like in a soap opera?" he overdramatically mock complained. "I feel gypped! Where's the action, where's all the razzmatazz?" He then started bouncing around, shadowboxing. "Come on, I was ready for some action!" he grinned. 

"It's like the Keeper said, Rocky," Kat spoke up. "The trials are all what they need to be, for who they need to be. Nothing more, but nothing less." 

"Yes," Billy spoke up thoughtfully. "Also, by trying Jason this way, it was more of a true trial." 

"How do you figure that?" Rocky asked, frowning slightly. 

"We were all prepared to some degree for 'action', as you just said. We weren't prepared for one of us to apparently just freeze up, and there not be any monsters or something else to deal with. Because we weren't prepped for it, and in particular Jason, since this was his trial after all, it was a true trial. There was no way Jason could have planned a way out of his own buried feelings." 

Rocky mulled Billy's words over for a few minutes, then smiled and nodded in agreement. "Still though, I was ready to fight some more monsters," he joked, shadowboxing once again. 

"Tell you what, Rocky," Tanya said, grinning like a Cheshire Cat as she sidled up to him. "We'll give you a chance for just what you want," she winked at him. 

"Oh? How so?" 

"Well, you can either go back the way we came and see if those Spinner things, or the Cat Monster is still back there for you to tangle with. or get tangled up by," she teased. "Or, we can let you charge well ahead of the rest of us and whatever monsters are waiting for us, you can fight them all by yourself, how's that?" 

Rocky stopped bouncing around, blinked, then smiled at the group. "Like I said: short, sweet, simple and to the point, no violence, that's the kind of trial I like! Yep, yep, I'll take that, no problem!" Everyone cracked up at Rocky's antics, finding a much-needed release of tension. 

"Hey Rocky," Tanya smiled sweetly. 

"Yeah?" 

"Race you!" she blurted out before tearing down the trail pell-mell. 

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "No fair!" he shouted, taking off at full speed right behind her, Adam hot on both their heels. Tommy, Billy and Kahva followed after them at a quick jog, while Kat hung back, slipping an arm about Jason's waist. 

"I came so close to being tempted," Jason murmured softly. "Everything I was shown, it all felt so - so. I don't know how to explain it. For a few moments, I _wanted_ that vision, I wanted it all. It felt like that if somehow I could have had that vision come true, everything would be all right. All I had to do was take over the team." 

"I know something of what you feel," Kat nodded, giving Jason a one-armed hug, which he returned gratefully. "When Rita made me her evil servant, I felt that what I was doing was for the best, even though it was an evil best. I rationalized that I was doing Tommy a favor, trying to separate him from Kim. And I didn't care what happened to her," the Pink Ranger shivered. "Evil, greed, jealousy. They can all be so. seductive." 

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "But to give in to the vision, to believe what Daniel's double was telling me, would have been to lie to myself all over again, and to the people I love. The double told me to search my heart, and I did. I remembered something I was taught a long time ago, about knowing yourself, knowing your heart." Jason smiled, hugging Kat again. "Once I did that, I knew my truth, and I knew what I had to do. You know, I think maybe telling everyone what happened to me. I think that may have been part of the trial too. You know, being honest not only with yourself about how you really feel, but everyone else? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, I don't know. But I do know I've finally been honest with everyone. Except for Kim, but I _will_ talk to her as soon as this is over. I'm not going to hide my heart anymore." 

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Kat asked knowingly, lightly tapping Jason's chest, right above his heart. "To finally let it all go?" 

"Like I'm king of the world, Kat," he smiled, laughing as they spied Tanya, Rocky and Adam far ahead of them, all falling down in a giddy heap. Jason couldn't remember the last time his heart had felt so light. In spite of the seriousness of their situation, Jason felt free and happy, his heart surging with the hope that they would make it after all. The vision of all the Rangers, past and present, and Kahva, standing together as a team played in his mind again, this time with Sheena standing forefront like the leader she truly was, and deserved to be. This time, the vision felt good, not because it glorified him, but because it celebrated their teamwork, friendship and love. "No. Like I'm king of the universe..." _ Thank you, sensei. Thank you._

* * *

Sheena leaned against Zimmer for a moment, enjoying the strength and comfort he was so freely providing her. She knew _he_ wouldn't turn his back on her,_ he_ wouldn't ever leave her for anyone else. She closed her eyes for a moment, reveling in the warmth of the bed all around them. For a moment, she had thought it a trifle odd to think of him and beds in the same sentence, but that had passed. He was conducting himself as a perfect gentleman would and should, and she felt no fear of him at all. 

"It is a glorious dawn, my dear," he murmured into her ear. "What would you like to do, this first full day in your new home?" 

_I'd love to go hang out at the Youth Center or to go work out_, she nearly said aloud, when it sank in that she was far from Earth and all the things she had done there. _Then again, I've got far more here,_ she reminded herself. Glancing down, she almost winced. "The first thing I think I'd like to do is take a bath, if you could arrange it, please, Zimmer. I've worn these clothes almost a straight day, and I need to get out of them and into something clean." 

"I believe I can arrange that," Zimmer smiled, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, gazing deeply into them lovingly for several moments before speaking again. "That door there," he gestured to one of pure rose quartz, "will take you to a bathing chamber. You'll find all the facilities you are used to and then some in there, and I'll have some garments sent in to you. Will you require any assistance with your bath? I could arrange that as well, my dear." _I would be most pleased to help you out of your garments..._

Sheena hesitated for the barest of seconds, then shook her head. "No, I can manage, thank you for the offer, though." She slipped out of the bed and headed for the door, more than ready to change out of her dirty, stained jeans and shirt. It seemed like a thousand years ago she had put them on for... her eyes darkened as she remembered how just the morning before, she had been in her and Billy's cabin, talking with Tanya about the flashbacks she'd been having. 

_I had thought I'd heard something then,_ she thought, frowning for a moment, trying to remember. For a moment, it seemed important to remember, it seemed the most important thing in the universe that she should remember... then it was gone. She shrugged. "Nothing that happened there is important to me anymore," she murmured, smiling as she saw a wide ivory, old fashioned clawfoot tub in one corner of the magnificent bathroom, filling with steaming hot water, a lovely fragrance arising from it. With a gentle smile on her face, she practically threw off the remains of her clothes and nearly dove headlong into the tub. She resisted the impish impulse though, and settled for merely hopping into the inviting bath. 

Soapy bubbles floated up all around her as she relaxed, sinking into the warm water's embrace, closing her eyes and letting her mind go completely off-line. _I just feel too good to think right now,_ she mused. _Too good..._

It could've been hours or even days later when she finally emerged from the tub, vigorously toweling herself off and looking around for the clothes Zimmer had promised. She hadn't seen or heard anyone enter, but that didn't mean they hadn't. Indeed, not that far from her she found a small pile of dark clothing. 

"Ohhhhh," she breathed in ecstasy at the amazing folds of silk-like material that cascaded all around her. In moments she had wrapped it around herself, then tied it tight with the sable satin belt that had come with it. She didn't see any shoes or anything else to go with it, but that didn't matter; the essentials were covered, and that was the important thing. Almost dancing, she headed back to the room, where Zimmer had also bathed in some other room it appeared, for he now wore a black tunic and trousers that matched her own new outfit in style and hue. 

As she re-entered the room, she realized something that had skipped her attention before. "Zimmer, where is my jewelry?" she motioned to her hands and neck, whirling about in momentary panic. "My rings, and the necklace..." 

"There," he motioned to a small box on the bedside table. "I didn't think you'd want them to remind you of the past, so I had them put away properly." As if to assure her he spoke the truth, he opened the box long enough for her to get a glimpse of the jewelry, then closed it again. 

Sheena smiled, sitting herself down in a chair upholstered in pure red, impossibly soft velvet. The entire room was done in shades of red and black, and somehow was very pleasing to her. The largest item in the whole room was a bed that took up nine-tenths of the room. It looked very comfortable right now, despite the fact she had just awakened not that long ago. 

_It was from nightmares, and I didn't sleep well,_ she reminded herself. She glanced up as Zimmer came over to her and sat just in front of her. "And now that you are garbed appropriately as a Queen should be, my love, what shall we do?" 

_My love. He loves me. _Sheena smiled warmly at him, then found her hand playing nervously with the folds of her gown for some strange reason. "I think... I think I need to think, Zimmer," she said softly. "That nightmare is still haunting me, and I think I need some air." 

For a moment, she thought he looked almost annoyed by her statement, then he was all smiles again. "Very well. Where shall we walk?" 

"I can do it alone." She couldn't explain the pulsating need for solitude within her. _Please let him understand, even though I don't understand this myself._ "I'll be fine Zimmer, your palace is safe, isn't it?" 

"Of course," he nodded. "And you are more than a good enough warrior to deal with anything or anyone foolish enough to dare to interfere with the new Queen of my realm. Have a nice walk. I'll be dealing with matters of state, when you wish to speak again." He smiled warmly at her, and tenderly showed her to the door that led to the gardens. With a nod, she wandered out, her eyes showing more shadows than they had since she had first arrived. 

Zimmer watched her go, his own eyes smoldering with barely suppressed rage. _She shouldn't have wanted to leave. She should have wanted to plan her entire day, her entire LIFE around me! What is going on here!_

* * *

Everyone was on edge once again as they continued to follow the path through the thick jungle region. Whatever planet this was, it had a _wide_ variety of terrain, and they had a strong feeling they were going to see most of it. Already, in the time they had been there, they had gone from the shore to gentle forest, then rougher, mountainous terrain, followed by the jungle. At one point after Jason's trial, they had thought the trail was going to lead them into a desert, but at the last moment the trail had veered back into the jungle, which had only gotten thicker and more damp with each minute. 

The initial outburst of merriment after Jason's personal victory had served to relieve pent-up fears and tensions, giving most of the group a badly needed release. But soon after, reality crashed back in on them, as they realized not all of their number could celebrate. The silence of their older friend and the Sapphire Ranger brought home the painful fact all over again that their quest was far from over. Everyone knew full well there were two trials remaining, and all kept worried, wary eyes on Kahva and Billy, not certain as to which of the two was going to be next. 

Kahva was probably the more nervous of the pair; she would have been just as happy if her trial had been the first, so it could have been over with long ago. But for some reason, she and Billy had been 'saved' until the last. _ Every trial has gotten rougher, more intense. I don't know if I can do this! I don't like this, I don't like this at all,_ she thought, biting her lip as she walked along with the others. _Everything feels too weird, too strange. But ever since I was pulled into this universe, things have been strange, so this place isn't something all that new, I suppose. Heck, strange practically defines this universe,_ she laughed silently to herself. _I wouldn't trade it for any other, though, even if Sheena hadn't been here. This is where I belong, this is where my family came from. The only thing that ever really made me happy back 'home' was having Sheena for a friend. When she disappeared, I lived every day hoping and praying that either she would return, or that somehow, some way, we would be reunited. _

Kahva looked up ahead of her, casting her gaze upon her friends one by one, her eyes finally resting on Billy. _ I got my wish, I got Sheena back, and she had already had her wildest dreams come true: she had become a Power Ranger, and had found Billy, the absolute love of her life,_ she thought, allowing herself a small grim smile as she looked back down at the ground, having to watch her steps carefully now to avoid being tripped up by the gnarled roots and coiled vines that suddenly littered the trail. _ Where did all this stuff come from? she absently wondered. Doesn't matter, I'll go through anything, go anywhere and do anything I have to do to get Sheena back. I'm not going to let ANYONE tear us apart ever again, or keep her from her friends, her true love. I don't CARE how powerful this wizard is, no one is going to separate me from her ever again! Do you understand that Zimmer! You are not going to get away with ANY of this, so help me God! Nobody takes my soul-sister from me, NOBODY!_

She couldn't have said what it was that caught her attention, a slight noise, a small movement. Whatever it was, she lifted her head just in time to see what looked very much like long, pale gray arms coming out of a bush near Billy, grabbing the Sapphire Ranger and pulling him away. Kahva tried to say something, to scream something, when a sight that made her sick to her stomach appeared: a monster all too familiar to her, Mondo's Shifter, standing where Billy had stood a mere second before. None of the others were watching Billy at that moment, no one but Kahva was a witness as Shifter literally flowed into a perfect duplicate of Billy, then immediately started walking along with everyone else. 

"Guys!" she shouted, finding her voice after what seemed an eternity. "That's not Billy!" Kahva ran up and placed herself between Shifter and the rest of the team, keeping a wary eye upon him. 

Everyone stopped, turning to look at her a bit oddly. Kat frowned a little, then asked quietly, "Kahva, are you all right?" 

"Didn't you hear me?" the older woman half-snapped, feeling a strange and unaccustomed anger rising in her. "That's not Billy! I saw it happen, someone or something grabbed Billy, and Shifter took his place!" _Gotta fight the anger, can't let myself feel anything, they'll think I'm hysterical or something, can't feel, can't feel._

Tommy shook his head, gently disagreeing. "We destroyed Shifter, Kahva, don't you remember?" he said tenderly. "It's just your imagination, but that's okay. Hey, we're all on edge, we know it's going to be either you or Billy who gets tested next. It's okay, we know how you feel." 

_Don't feel, lock it down, lock it down, they think you're losing it, lock it down! _ But try as she might, Kahva couldn't shove her anger down, almost literally snarling at Tommy. "I know what I'm saying!" she insisted. "I_ know _what I saw!" _Why are they doubting me again! Why don't they, why won't they believe me!_

"Your nerves aren't what they should be, Kahva," Billy/Shifter said a touch too sweetly, reaching out to pat her shoulder. Kahva recoiled from the touch, not wanting Shifter to so much as lay a single finger on her. Of all of Mondo's monsters, she hated and feared this one the most. It had tricked her and Daniel into believing it was Adam and lured them into a trap, throwing her into a terrifying captivity and torment that she still had nightmares about. "You're just confused a little is all. This place will do it to you, it can warp your mind. Maybe you're thinking about what happened yesterday at the carnival, and you're confusing then with now," he suggested lightly. 

It took a lot of effort not to completely lose her cool, but somehow Kahva stayed coldly calm, even managed to look Billy/Shifter directly in the eye. "I am perfectly aware of the time difference," she stated flatly. "I know you aren't Billy, you are Shifter, and you will not get away with this!" 

Tanya tried to come over to her at that point, only to have Kahva leap away from her instinctively. "Kahva, just relax, you're overreacting again. Look, maybe you won't be tested, you're not a Ranger, after all. You'll probably just have to help Billy in his some way. Or maybe you're already through, you did sorta help me a little, after all." 

"Just let us handle this," Tommy purred softly, his voice was low and persuasive, a tone which set Kahva's nerves on edge. Tommy didn't talk like that to her, not ever, much less anyone else. "This is our quest, really. It's like Tanya said, you're simply not a Ranger." Giving her a hug she couldn't escape from, Tommy smiled down at her, then at the others. "Come on, team," he said, the inflection in his voice most definitely not including Kahva, "I want us to get to Billy's trial fast. Sheena is depending on us, Rangers." As if that settled the matter, the young people once again started down the trail, leaving Kahva behind. 

"Tommy, no, please! You have to believe me!" Kahva pleaded, her anger changing into despair. "You guys started to believe me about stuff earlier, don't start doubting me now, please! That's not Billy!" 

"Oh please, you're not going to start crying, are you?" Kahva could've sworn she heard Jason say. "You're the oldest of us, get a grip!" But Jason wasn't facing her, so Kahva didn't know for sure if he had actually spoken, or if she had imagined it. 

"She's such a crybaby," Adam's voice sounded, though he wasn't facing her either. Every single one of the Rangers was trudging down the trail, none of them looking at her, none of them speaking directly to her, or even to each other. With every step they took, it seemed they were leaving her further and further behind, no matter how hard she tried to keep up with them. 

"I still can't figure out why Daniel loves her," Kat's voice was whispering loudly. Kahva whirled all around, glancing wildly from one spot to the other. The voice seemed to be right on her shoulder almost, but Kat was with the others, well ahead of her, and still none of them appeared to be saying anything to each other at all. 

"She's a sympathy case, he feels sorry for the little mouse," she heard Rocky's voice next. 

No. Kahva moaned inwardly. _He loves me, he told me he loved me, shut up Rocky, shut up!_ She tried to break into a run to catch up with them, to make them stop talking so meanly about her, but suddenly Kahva couldn't make her legs move, no matter how hard she tried. 

"Maybe that's the reason Sheena took her into her circle of friends when they were kids, maybe she felt sorry for her then, maybe she still feels sorry for her," Billy/Shifter mused. "Once we free my wife, that's the first question I'm going to ask her." 

_No! Sheena didn't feel sorry for me, you don't know anything about how we met, how we became friends!_ Kahva tried to shout to the others ahead of her, to the voices prowling around her, wherever they were truly coming from. But she couldn't bring herself to protest. because she had wondered the same thing herself long ago. and had never been able to make herself fully believe she deserved such good fortune in finding Sheena, much less having her as a friend. 

"You know, I wonder if she's even really Zordon's daughter," Tanya wondered aloud. "After all, she's nothing like him. He's brave and wise, while she's a wreck all of the time." 

"He and Alpha could have easily faked the records," Billy agreed. "Zordon could have felt sorry for her like Sheena must have when they first met. It would be just like him, taking in someone unworthy just to make them feel like someone cares or might actually want them." 

_NO! Shut up, shut up, leave me alone! Please!_

"I wouldn't be surprised," Tommy agreed. "You know, her abilities could be a fluke too. I mean, what good is a person who needs to use someone else's power, a _Ranger's_ power, to do anything? For all we know, Kat's body healed itself; Kahva probably didn't do a thing but mumble over the scratches. Our bodies do heal faster because of our Ranger powers. Kat's body must have healed itself, Kahva just took the credit for it to look important." 

_NO! That was real, I did do it! _Kahva mentally screamed at Billy and Tommy, her body still rooted to the spot, unable to move her legs to try and catch up with the others. 

_Isn't that why you didn't tell them what you could do, because you knew they wouldn't believe you?_ another voice taunted her, this one most assuredly in her mind. and unmistakably her own. 

"Why won't they listen to me?" Kahva wept softly, still trying not to let her emotions break through to the surface, but not entirely succeeding. 

_Big girls don't cry,_ came a painful memory of a crackly voice, harshly rebuking her. _You're older than all of the rest of the children here, why don't you be quiet and grow up? _

But Ms. Caswell, the boys took my baby doll - 

Big girls don't cry. That's probably why we can't get you adopted out, you cry too much. Adults don't want to be bothered with bad little children who cry all the time. They don't have the time to deal with silly crybabies, and they think a child who cries all the time must be a bad, troubled child. Stop your sniffling and be quiet, you'll drive off the adults coming today, and then no one will get a home. Do you want to keep the other GOOD children from getting a home? 

N-no, but the boys - 

Go to your dorm, and don't come out until you learn to not be a crybaby. 

But I want a Mommy and a Daddy too! Please, I want a Mommy and a Daddy, PLEASE! 

You don't get one until you learn to stop crying. No one will adopt a silly girl who cries all the time. 

Kah-va, Kah-va, sounds like ca-ca! 

Ms. Caswell, they're teasing me! That's not how my name sounds, - 

Don't be a tattletale, young lady! Be quiet and stop that silly crying! You'll scare off the adults who want good little children. 

Stupid girl, stupid name, sounds like ca-ca! Who could want a girl named Kahva, sounds like ca-ca. 

No it doesn't! 

Ca-ca, ca-ca, ca-ca, ca-ca. 

Ms. Caswell - 

Stop that silly crying! You'll never get a home, Kahva. No one wants a crybaby. 

"No, no, no, no, NOOO!" Kahva finally screamed, sobbing uncontrollably. "Leave me alone, please!" Her legs responded at last, but instead of running to her friends, she turned and ran in the opposite direction of the others, unable to make herself follow them or try to reason with them anymore. 

"How can I leave you alone when I haven't done anything to you. _yet_," came an all too familiar voice, followed by a solid human chest that she soundly bumped into. "Nice to see you again, Kahva," the voice purred, strong hands floating down from her shoulders to her arms, then pinning them tightly to her sides. Through her tears, Kahva saw her tormentor from the carnival: Billy's evil clone. 

"N-n-n-nooo," she moaned softly, looking desperately behind her for the others. "Help me! Please! Tommy! Jason! Guys, please!" 

"They don't believe you, or in you anymore, Kahva. Or have you forgotten?" the clone laughed softly, not quite gently rubbing her arms. "I'm back, my dear little one, and here, I can stay in existence _forever."_

"I don't want you, leave me alone! Haven't you done enough already! Why did you make me remember the orphanage! You did that, didn't you!" she railed at him, squirming frantically in his grip. 

"Orphanage?" The clone looked honestly confused at that. "What orphanage? Who cares about an orphanage?" Laughing, leering at her, the clone licked his lips, much like a big wild cat about to feast upon a fresh kill. "Who cares, when I have you finally, all to myself. With no one to save you, or interrupt me, this time." 

"Th-th-the others w-w-w-" 

"W-w-w-what?" he mocked her. "They don't believe in you anymore, stupid girl, don't you understand that yet! They're smart enough to not care about someone who can't even believe in herself! I, on the other hand," he breathed against her lips, "don't care who or what you do or don't believe in. I've got you all to myself now. You're mine forever. Just like Sheena belongs to my former master now, forever." 

_No, no, no, no. I've got to get away from him, but how? How can I get away from him this time when I couldn't do it last time? Why won't the others believe me anymore!_ "My friends will -" 

"Friends? _Friends?_ Did I actually just hear you say, 'my friends'? You are such a fool!" the clone laughed, shoving Kahva against a tree. "Why on Earth should anyone _ever_ want to be your friend, silly child? You aren't valuable to anyone. but me," he half growled, cruelly gripping her chin cruelly with one hand, grabbing her wrists and pinning them together in the other. "You have caused me a lot of trouble, my dear, but you're finally where you belong: with me." he gloated, before forcing a kiss on her. 

_You have caused me a great deal of trouble my dear, but you are finally where you belong, in my SkyBase, and you are about to become my slave forever!_ floated back King Mondo's words to her. The scene, her captor, and the intentions towards her were different this time, but it was the SkyBase all over again, and Kahva couldn't control the shaking of her body or voice. "I belong to no one, especially n-n-not you! M-my friends _will_ st-st-stop you!" 

"Your friends. Such a trusting little fool you are, Kahva. Your friends don't believe in you anymore, hasn't that gotten into that thick skull of yours yet? Or are you more idiotic than I thought? It doesn't matter," he smiled, forcing yet another kiss on her. "I'm not after you for your mind. Try to think and remember, though. If you can manage it, that is. Your friends stopped believing in you a long time ago, didn't they?" he taunted. "Sheena was actually the first, wasn't she? She didn't believe you when you told her she would be taken to another dimension, did she?" 

_What, me falling into a big white light? That's a dream, not a vision. You stayed up too late watching TV, sister dear,_ came back the memory of Sheena's laughing disbelief. _ I lost her that day, now I've lost her again! It's all my fault!_

"Ah, yes, I can see in your eyes I was right," the Billy clone chuckled, enjoying her pain. "You never can do anything right, can you? That's okay, my sweet. I'll keep you anyway." 

"You can't have me!" Kahva screamed, kicking at her tormentor with all her strength, but with even fewer results than when she'd fought against him at the carnival. "Leave me alone!" 

"You say no, but I think you don't mean it," he purred, threatening to force yet another kiss upon her. "If you meant it, you would have been able to get away from me all on your own, now wouldn't you? You didn't do everything that you could to get away from me yesterday, just like you didn't do everything that you could to save Sheena. Face it, you know it's true. You're not a _real_ fighter; you are just a wimp, a pretender at worst. You can't stand up for anything or anyone, because you don't have what it takes!" 

"Leave me alone, please!" Kahva screamed, trying to yank her imprisoned wrists free of his grip, but was still unable to free herself. The clone kept his bruising grip on her chin, forcing her to look directly at him. "I won't do anything for you!" she yelled defiantly, struggling to stop the tremors wracking her body. "You can't make me like you!" 

"As if I care about what you feel," he laughed cruelly, carrying through on his unspoken threat of another kiss. "I'm quite sure you'll hate me for the rest of your stupid life, but I don't care. Anything I want of or with you. let's just say you'll never be in any position to stop me." The clone released her chin to caress her face, then chuckled, "Face it. I'm the only one who gives one single iota about you now; I'm the only one who wants you around. You might as well give up and accept your fate. That is what you do best, isn't it? Give up?" 

"No -" 

"Oh come on, you've _never_ stood up for anything important, you've never truly helped your friends with anything that mattered. You're a wimp!" he taunted her. "A beautiful wimp, though. _My_ wimp." The clone caught her chin again and forced her to face the direction her friends had gone. "Look at them, all of them. They've been standing there the whole time, and not a single one of them has lifted a finger, or said a single word in your defense. They've been watching you do what you do so well: cave in and break down." The clone snickered as Kahva tried to scream to the Rangers for help, but couldn't make a single sound. "See? You're doing it right now, and quite well, I must say. I think you really do want to be with me, my sweet. What's the old line. 'Methinks the lady doth protest too much?' That's you, wimp." 

"No! Guys, please, help me! Help me!" Kahva cried, all the fears from the carnival encounter dwarfed by the fears consuming her now. _Why don't they do something! Why won't they help me! Please, please, don't let them really hate me because I can't fight like them, please! I can't do it, I can't be like them! I'm not a Ranger, I can't be like them! Why won't they help me!_

"Poor little Kahva, doesn't know what to do, can't do anything but cry like the wimp she is," her captor sneered. "Cry some more, I love your agony, my sweet." 

As much as she wanted to not cry anymore, to lock down everything she was feeling and shove it away somewhere, Kahva couldn't, and she sank to the ground in a sobbing heap, her wrists now being held up above her by the clone. _What do I do, what can I do! I can't fight him, I've tried, I've tried! _

What troubles you, child? Kahva heard Master Madas' voice in her mind. She looked up and around wildly, desperately hoping the ki-see master was somehow nearby, and would rescue her. But no one was around save for the evil clone of Billy, and the Rangers further up the trail, who were all simply staring silently like statues at the tableau playing out before them. _What troubles you, child?_ she heard again, and the memory of the master finding her roaming about the Power Chamber after Sheena and Billy's wedding drifted back to her. 

_I don't know what I'm supposed to do now_, she had told him. She remembered wondering how she would fit in, if she ever really could fit in to this new dimension, and new friends. 

_Sometimes the answers lie not in darkness or light, but in the shadows of the heart,_his voice told her once again. _ Trust in yourself, and you will find the strength to do it. _

I don't know if I can, Master Madas, she thought to herself, staring at the ground through her tears, not even able to find the strength of will to try and yank her captured wrists free from the evil clone who held her prisoner. _If it was anyone else, I'd tear apart Heaven and Hell and everything in between, but I don't think I can do this now. I'm not important, anyway._

"Get up, child," growled the clone. "It's time for you to start your life with me!" He yanked her up to her feet, dragging her over to some vines. "I'm going to tie your wrists together, and you aren't going to struggle or complain, do you understand, wimp? It wouldn't do you any good anyway, because no one has ever wanted you here, not ever, so make this easy on yourself." 

Kahva immediately began to struggle again then, pure fear motivating her to fight one last time. "NO!" she screamed, her voice becoming hoarse from all her protests and her crying. _ Sheena, I'm sorry, I've let you down, you must be so ashamed of me, how could you have ever cared about me? He's right, I am a wimp, you should never have wasted your time on me. _

I guess there was a part of me that hoped somehow, someway, you could be my maid of honor. Will you Kahva? Will you be my maid of honor? 

"She-Sheena?" Kahva softly whispered, not knowing if the voice was a trick of the clone's, or another memory. She didn't have time to figure it out as more scenes played out in her mind, more events coming back to her memory. 

_Thanks Kahva, that thing would've sliced and diced me before I could've morphed,_ she remembered Tommy telling her in the Lunar Palace. 

_We could not have defeated Harvox without you,_ Kahva Kilanye had told her in the Power Chamber after Sheena had been rescued from Mondo. 

_You're stronger than you think, Kahva. That cut on your hand should remind you of that,_ Tommy had said to her back in the Power Chamber before they had all left to return the original Silver Ranger's body to Eltar._ It may have been the combined attack from you and Sheena that took it out, but you fought off that thing all by yourself for almost two minutes, did you realize that? It took Sheena and Billy a while to get my foot free. Don't sell yourself so short." _

Thank you, Kahva Briton, daughter of Elysia, and Zordon, my mentor and friend. I am proud to share my name with you, and honored. 

Kahva shivered as Kahva Kilanye's words echoed in her mind. _ She is a ghost now, she was the original Silver Ranger, one of the best warriors ever. The good, honored dead have no reason to lie, and she's never lied to any of us. Kahva was proud of me. If no one else has ever been proud of me, I know that she has been, she has been inside of me, I've felt how she feels. Misplaced belief or no, she believed in me. _

Trust in yourself, and you will find the strength to do it, Kahva heard Master Madas' voice again. _Trust in yourself.. _

I love you too, as a friend that I always want by my side and in my heart. 

Don't sell yourself so short. 

Kahva, I do like you, and I think everyone knows that, though I've never put anything into so many words. I can't imagine my life, any of our lives, without you in it. 

Will you be my maid of honor? 

Trust in yourself, and you will find the strength to do it. 

"I'll try," Kahva whispered to herself. Staring at the creation who still held her wrists in a vise-like grip, Kahva searched for anything different this time, anything that would give her the advantage she had lacked at the carnival. _He's not got me on the ground, Billy's not on top of me - wait. He's not Billy. He's not Billy!_

A smile crossed her face then, as a warmth began to fill her being, giving her renewed determination. _He is NOT Billy!_

"What are you smiling about?" the clone asked, holding a length of vine in one hand. Instead of binding her wrists immediately, he was staring at her, frowning. 

"I _did_ do everything I could at the carnival," Kahva answered him, finding a wonderful calm in the warmth that was growing inside her. "I don't know why the others didn't believe me, I don't know why they won't believe me now, but I know this: I did everything I could yesterday, and that there is one thing that is different today." The clone shifted his grip on her wrists, seeming to be a bit uncomfortable at her growing confidence. "Today, I know you're _not_ Billy. So I don't care how you'll feel when I do this!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, vengefully punctuating it with a powerful kick to his most sensitive region. Much to her satisfaction, he immediately released her, dropping like a sack of potatoes to the ground. "You caught me off-guard yesterday, you messed with my mind by acting the way you did, to the point I wasn't completely sure of anything. You did the same today. but now I _know_ you're not a friend, I _know_ you're not Billy, and I seriously doubt you're even the clone." 

"It doesn't matter if I'm the clone or not," her enemy grunted out through gritted teeth. "It doesn't change the fact that deep down inside, you're just a crybaby wimp that nobody loves." 

"Kahva Kilanye is proud of me," Kahva countered. "Daniel has told me he loves me, and I believe him. Sheena hoped and prayed that I could somehow be her maid of honor, you don't want someone you hate to do that for you," she nearly snarled at him. "Maybe I am a wimp compared to a lot of people, but I try my hardest to do my best at anything and everything I try. Pardon me if I'm wrong, but somehow I don't think that makes me a total wimp. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got at least one more imposter to get rid of, if I can." 

"You'll fail," the Billy clone growled at her before disappearing into a thin trail of smoke. 

"We'll see," Kahva gritted out, charging down the path to the others. _ I don't care anymore whether they believe me or not, that is Shifter up there and I'm going to stop him!_

"Kahva, who was that you were wasting our time with?" Tommy asked, tapping an irritated foot on the ground. "We should have left you behind, Billy is the only one with a trial left. This is _our_ quest, not yours, it never has been yours. You're not a Ranger, so you simply just don't count." 

"Then answer me one thing, Tommy. If I don't count, then why were you so quick to try and convince me that this _thing_," she softly snarled at him, "was Billy, and not Shifter? And why did you talk to me with a tone of voice that is better put to seduction, not the gentle persuasion of a fellow team member? Somehow, I don't think you would need to convince me so badly, if I didn't count, Tommy." 

"Kahva, we don't have time for this - " 

It didn't even take a conscious decision on her part to know what she had to do. Before anyone could even blink, Kahva acted with a speed and agility more akin to Sheena or Tommy himself, moving faster than she ever had in her life. She'd spotted a long, broken off tree branch lying on the ground not too far from her and she dove for it, snatching it up quickly and coming back to her feet to face them all. "Maybe you're all monsters," she said, surprising herself with the perfect calm in her voice, "I don't know. But I do know what I saw, I know that Billy has been replaced by Shifter, and I think you have too, Tommy, because the _real_ Tommy respects me enough to know that this is indeed our quest. Even most of you doubting everything I say hasn't altered that, or _none_ of you would have been rooting for me to be picked, now would you?" The warmth inside her was growing, and she knew she was right, her certainty in her truth growing with every second. "I might not be a Ranger, but I _am_ in on this, and I'm going to see it through, whether the rest of you like it now or not. Maybe this is my trial, maybe not, I don't know, but I do know I am not going to back down from what I know is right, just because you all think I'm wrong! Now give Billy and Tommy back to us!" she growled at her opponents. She pointed the makeshift staff from Billy to Tommy, not letting her eyes go off either of them. _I'm right about this, they're both fakes, they have to be! I know I'm right and I'm not going to back down! _

Kahva almost jumped out of her skin when both of them suddenly glowed for a moment, then flowed into identical Shifters. _I knew it! I was right!_ "Give Billy and Tommy back," she growled again. 

"We are Billy and Tommy," they both said, their voices echoing eerily. "You're imagining things again, Kahva." 

"NO I'M NOT!" _I am NOT giving up!_ She kept her eyes and her weapon on them, refusing to move, refusing to let anyone talk her out of the truth, not for a single second... and then the Shifters were simply gone. _ Now what happens?_

"Kahva?" It was Billy's voice, and she turned to see him and Tommy behind her. "Kahva, you did it!" he exclaimed, his face beaming with a smile that none of them had seen on his face a full day. "You didn't back down, even when everyone else thought you were wrong. You did it right, my friend." Her eyes filled up with tears again, happy tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, for the part of her mind and soul that had been trained by Master Madas told her this Billy and Tommy were the real deal. "We love you, Kahva. Thank you." 

The love in his voice was so great, it was all she could do to keep herself from weeping with sheer joy. _ Don't lose it now, we're too close to Sheena to lose it now. We can celebrate after we've got her back._ Forcing calm into her tone, she simply nodded. "Seven down, one to go," she said. "You're next, Billy." 

Rocky wasn't about to stay quite so calm, however. The Blue Ranger rushed forward to Kahva, grabbing her up in a hug, fighting back a few tears of his own. "Kahva. I know what we said - what I said. Oh Kahva, I'm so sorry, I didn't want to say what I did, I don't believe in what I said at all. It's like I couldn't control anything I said or did! And then having to watch you and that copy of the clone and not be able to do a single thing." 

The others all nodded in sympathetic agreement, each one taking a deep, uneasy breath. During Kahva's test, they all had felt almost as if something was controlling their voices, saying cruel things they knew weren't true. They had all seen Tommy and Billy being taken and replaced, but whatever it was that had controlled them wouldn't let them say anything in support of Kahva. The elder girl finally couldn't keep her tears back, returning Rocky's hug with a fierce one of her own, absolving every one of them with the wordless gesture. That act unleashed a whole round of hugs and tears from each of the young people. Though the ordeal had been unmistakably Kahva's, all of them hurt from its impact, as if they had been on trial with her. Tanya was the one who finally managed to find her voice. "We're almost there." 

Kahva nodded, turning her eyes briefly to the early evening sky above as they began the last leg of their quest. "We're coming, Sheena."

* * *

Wrapped in her cloak, the Keeper of the Crystal stared out over the jungle that the questors were hiking through. Long masses of curly hair fell just past her shoulders as she watched them. _You are almost here,_ she mused. _ But once here, then the real barriers rise up against you. Almost all of you have conquered the shades of darkness and fear within you, but still the final trial and the questions face you, before you are done._

She returned her gaze to the altar and poured a small amount of her magical dust into the indention there, reestablishing the spell that would show her the images she could see within the indentation. "Show me the one who has been blinded by evil's obsession," she softly commanded, and the spell complied. Her eyes widened slightly with surprise to see Sheena walking by herself. _ He is not with her? Has she refused his company? How can this be? She has not broken the spell, its threads still weave tightly around her, but I sense it is weaker... something has weakened it... what has done this?_

The Keeper probed gently with her mental skills, testing the web woven around the last of the direct Kilanye line. Amazement flooded her when she recognized the taste of the power there. _I did not know She could interfere directly!_

"I cannot," a soft voice whispered suddenly all around her. There was no one there, but the voice filled the Keeper with something she hadn't tasted since seeing the link flare up so brightly between the two girls: hope. "However, she called for Me, thought without knowing. Although I cannot release her, I can, and have aided in what small fashion I can. The rest is up to her friends and to their love." 

Awestruck, the Keeper found it necessary to sit down at the Power evident in the voice surrounding her. "Thank you, Lady," she whispered. "But... my Lady, why did you permit this to happen at all? Didn't You know?" 

"I knew," the Other responded. "But since the dawn of time it has been forbidden for Those like Me to interfere in the affairs of mortals, save in the direst of need. Only if the Crystal did not exist, or if those questors were not capable of gaining it, would the need be dire enough... perhaps. Time is not My province, and I cannot see into all its different futures. This is the limit of My involvement, and even I do not know if this will be enough. Only Time can tell the tale... and Time has not told Me." 

The Keeper nodded slowly as the Presence faded, and she was alone again. Slowly, as her heart rate returned to normal, she gazed at the Crystal again. For one moment, she gulped, as within the heart of the Crystal of Truth, an ancient symbol flared, and then was gone. 

"Life," she whispered softly, clenching her fists around the staff she carried. "Sweet Beloved Stars, Zimmer, you know not what you have done... or whose wrath you could incur should you continue..." 

For some reason, she found that thought very, very sweet.

* * *

Sheena wandered aimlessly through the gardens, letting her mind and heart float free. The aura of the nightmares she had lived through so many times during the night hadn't really lifted from her soul, and she was considering asking Zimmer for something to help her sleep without dreams that night. 

_I don't think he'll deny me_, she mused. _I don't think he'd deny me anything, not even his entire empire, if I asked for it. That's kind of sweet... I thought Bil- no, don't think about him, don't think about any of them! All they did was hurt you, and you made the right choice by leaving Earth, leaving them! They never loved you! Zimmer is your only true friend. true love, now._

Her fingers clenched around the edge of the gown she wore, and she glanced at her hands. For the first time, as far back as she could remember, she wore no jewelry, not even the silver rose earrings she'd bought only a few weeks prior to her arrival in this universe. _I don't need any of them anymore, _she thought firmly. _ Those belong to the past, and I have to look to my future. My future with Zimmer. _But for whatever reason, she doubted her own thoughts and feelings towards her old life, and the new one that now lay before her. 

She leaned against a tree for a moment, ruthlessly shoving all the images of times with those she had loved away from her. _I belong here,_ she repeated to herself. _I belong with him. He loves me, and no one else does. They all betrayed me, one and all. I belong here._ She repeated the mantra to herself over and over again, trying to draw solace from it. After a few minutes, it seemed to work, and she found herself thinking of a wonderful future with her new friend. _Oh, Zimmer. How did I ever get so lucky to deserve you? _

That's it, just think of me, only me. Not far from Sheena, carefully cloaked in invisibility, Zimmer was casting spell-threads as fast as he possibly could. He'd sensed a Power somewhere in the area, one whose very essence opposed what he was and what he stood for. He couldn't be certain if it was just some wandering entity passing through on business of its own or not, so he had to risk something: possession of Sheena herself. Zimmer was putting everything he had into finishing up the spell, casting all the threads he was capable of, right up until only the final one remained. Once that was all he had to do, it would be effortless to convince Sheena they should 'celebrate' her new life in a very intimate manner. 

He smiled briefly as she played with the folds of the gown he had given her, and did lick his lips in anticipation. _It won't be long now, not long at all. An hour at the most, and then, no matter what the Rangers try, if they've even gotten themselves together enough to try ANYTHING, she will be MINE! I will at last have my revenge on Kahva Kilanye for refusing me... I told you I would have you, or one of your line... and I ALWAYS keep my word, my old love..._

Zimmer purred quietly to himself as he continued to cast his threads. In sixty short minutes, all he had wanted for the past several thousand years would be his, forever.

* * *

_I think I know how Kahva felt now back on Eltar when we brought Kahva Kilanye's body back,_ Billy thought, trying to hide a shiver of apprehension. _I've never had so many eyes glued on me at the same time in my life! Not during my graduation party, or when I returned as the Sapphire Ranger, or the wedding party._ Never had the Sapphire Ranger been the focus of such complete attention, and it was making him very nervous, to say the least. He tried hard not to think too much about it, efforting instead to think instead of the quest in general, to focus on how close they were to being done. 

_Just one more trial, just mine left, and then we can get the Crystal of Truth and go rescue Sheena._ Billy couldn't help the surge of triumph that floated through his body at that thought. _We're almost there, we've almost won..._

"Whoa. what's going on!" Rocky's exclamation cut into his thoughts. "What's happening to the trail!" 

"What do -" Billy started to ask, turning back to look at Rocky. Then he saw it. _ No. No, it can't be! Not now, not when we're so close!_

In most of the trials up until this point they had simply run out trail, or one of their party had frozen up unexpectedly. But this time, as Billy whirled about wildly, his heart racing with a fear he dared not give voice, this time the trail was disappearing with breakneck speed from in front of them and behind them. _Got to stop this, got to stop it!_ he thought frantically, but knowing in the same instant that there was nothing any of them could do. In mere moments, the trail was gone, and they were surrounded only by thick jungle. In place of where the trail should have been rolling out before them, a cliff now appeared, a somber, dark green mass of trees, vines and oppressive dampness. The Sapphire Ranger couldn't shake the feeling that the cliff, perhaps even the whole planet, was softly weeping. _ No. Please, no._

"Rangers, Kahva." The words floated down to them from the cliff-top, weighed down heavily with sadness. They all looked up to see a green-cloaked figure standing atop the cliff. Even though they still couldn't see her face, the voice was unmistakably that of the Keeper. "I am sorry, my dear warriors, but it is too late. Zimmer has completed his spell," she sighed sadly, "and Sheena has passed far beyond the power of the Crystal of Truth. She is his now, forever and always." 

Billy heard the words like a thunderclap, they fairly deafened him with their heart-tearing sadness, his eyes filled to overflowing with tears almost at once. The Keeper leapt lightly down in front of them, every movement full of sorrow and compassion. "I am so very sorry," she said quietly, still keeping the hood well over her head. "I wish I could have done something more, but magic such as what Zimmer has invoked, is well beyond my reach." 

Tommy, Kahva, and Tanya all wore stunned, grief-stricken expressions. With the natural exception of Billy, they were the three closest to Sheena. Hearing that their cousin, soul-sister and best friend was lost to them, beyond all hope, was a crushing, devastating blow. Kat, Adam, Rocky and Jason all looked sickened at what must have happened to their friend. Billy was beyond heartbroken, beyond grief. "I - I - I guess. I guess we'd better go home, then," Tommy whispered, brokenly, holding onto Kat for comfort and support. "We... we've lost her." 

"I guess the good guys don't always win," Jason murmured numbly, putting a hand in comfort on his friend's shoulder. "We all knew it would happen one day, that we'd probably lose one of us. I. I guess we never thought it would be like this." 

"I can't believe it." Kahva whispered hoarsely, her voice full of pain and disbelief. "We were so _close_. It's not fair!" 

Rocky put an arm about her shoulders, trying to console her. "We did everything we could. Time just wasn't on our side this time." 

Adam hugged Tanya tight to him, fighting back tears of his own. "Let's go home and tell the others. They're going to need us." 

"And we're going to have to start preparing for whatever Zimmer has planned to use Sheena for," Tommy added. "Fighting my own cousin, though. I - I. I never thought it would ever come to this." He moved as if to go to Billy, but seemed to think better of it, and instead drew the others towards himself. "Let's give Billy a moment, he's got to be hurting like mad. We need to ask the Keeper how we get back home now, anyway." 

As one, everyone turned away from Billy, looking to the Keeper, asking for directions back to Earth, or requesting to simply be teleported back there. _Sheena. My love. No. _Billy couldn't even see anymore for the tears falling down his cheeks, standing there with his fists clenched, white-knuckled, and heart aching. _I can't have lost you. Not like this! _

B-Billy, the final contact has to be a... personal one, Kahva's shaken voice came back to him. _The closest way you can ever touch another living, loving being. At that point, she'll be his forever, mind, body, soul, heart... we'll never get her back. Sheena will never know that it's a spell, she'll think that it's all been her decision to make._ Billy could clearly remember Kahva's deliberate avoidance of his gaze, all the while trying to be as gentle and delicate with him as humanly possible. _ We have to show her that it's all lies and illusions somehow, before that happens. We have to show her the truth, get her to see it for herself... Or we'll never get her back, ever._

"Billy," drifted a gentle, soothing voice to his ears, trying to draw him out of his grief. It was the Keeper herself trying to console him, touching his arm gently. He vaguely noticed the calluses on her hand, telltale signs that seemed to say she was a fighter of some type. Minutes earlier, that detail would have intrigued him greatly, but now, it wasn't making that much of an impression on his conscious mind. Nothing was, except for the empty, gaping hole her announcement had blasted through his heart. "I am truly sorry, I know how much you must be hurting, but fate is fate -" 

"Fate?" he growled, his eyes burned suddenly as he looked at her, his tears halted by sudden rage. "Do you really have _any_ clue as to what I'm feeling! Have you ever had the most important person in your life torn away from you by some wizard, and then had your only chance to save her ripped away too? 'I am sorry, my dear warriors, but it is too late', is all you can say!" The Keeper didn't respond, and Billy bored on relentlessly. "Can you possibly comprehend what it's like to live thinking that the woman you loved more than life itself was just a dream, then when you finally find her and think you can settle down and live as happily as you can, you lose her again! My fate, our fate was to spend the rest of our lives together, it was our sacred vow, so don't give me some half-baked cryptic garbage about _fate_!" 

Hands landed gently upon him, but he gruffly shook them away. _ How could they give up so easily, especially Tommy and Kahva! How can they have so little faith in Sheena!_ But Billy understood why, even as his heart continued to shatter into smaller and smaller pieces. They had all been through so much, and now their leader, their friend, had been cruelly ripped away from them, in spite of their best efforts. _I guess I can't blame them. _ But his anger was not yet spent, and despite his best efforts, he lashed out at the ones who loved him most. "Leave me alone! None of you understand, so leave me alone!" 

"Billy, please," Kat started, trying to calm him. "We're all hurting, but what you're doing to yourself isn't going to bring Sheena back." 

"You heard the Keeper, Billy," Tommy broke in gently. "It's too late for her now." 

"I don't believe that, I'll never believe that!" Billy roared, whirling around to face Tommy. "Why have you given up on her! Why have you given up on my wife!" 

"Billy," Kahva spoke softly, not daring to look at him in the eye. "We all tried our best. I don't know, maybe if we'd passed all our trials sooner, or hadn't slept last night, just insisted on starting the trials then, maybe we could have done this, saved her." Kahva looked near to tears, her voice cracking, and Billy wanted to fold her up into his arms and hold her close, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it. 

_If I do it, I'll lose it. It'll be saying I give up too. But - but. I can't just let Kahva hurt like this either, or anyone else. Even me._ Billy grabbed her and gave her the fiercest hug he'd ever given to anyone, including Sheena. His own tears burst forth again then, and Billy let them fall freely, releasing all of his pent up anger, anguish and pain, letting them all flow away with the tears. "We did everything we could, Kahva." he murmured between his sobs. "We all did." _Sheena, how am I supposed to live my life without you? Why did this happen to us? _ Billy sniffled a bit, looking from one friend to the other, an odd sense of calm abruptly filling him, warming his heart and soul. "We all did everything we possibly could." 

"So, what do we do now?" Adam asked hoarsely. "We have to prepare for whatever Zimmer might have Sheena do to us. She's our enemy now." The Green Zeo Ranger shivered and stared at the ground, not liking the thought at all. "I never thought it would ever come to this." 

"I have to find Sheena," Billy stated simply, knowing deep within his core that it was the truth. His truth. "I can't stop." 

"Come on Billy, you have to stop. We've lost," Rocky said dejectedly. 

"There's nothing else any of us can do but try to protect the Earth now," Tanya interjected. "Come home with us, Billy." 

"I have to find Sheena," he asserted again, not willing to give up the search. 

"Billy, you're only going to end up hurting yourself," Kat interjected softly. "You heard the Keeper, Sheena belongs to Zimmer now, mind, heart and soul. Even if you did find her, she won't be our Sheena. _your_ Sheena." 

_She's right_, Billy realized, the warmth that had been building inside of his heart fading somewhat. _There's no way to break the spell now, from what Kahva has told us._

"Billy, come back with us, please," Adam almost begged. "We've lost Sheena, we can't lose you too. We need you. Please, forget the quest, we've lost. It's time to go home." 

"I - I." Billy's voice trailed off into uncertainty. _ Sheena, how could I have lost you know when I know we were so very close? How did this happen to us? _

Faith is the essence of things unseen, the substance of things hoped for. At the sound of Kahva's voice in his mind, Billy looked down at the young woman he still held in his arms. _ Faith is all we have, Billy. If we lose that, we lose Sheena,_ Kahva's words from the beginning of the quest came back to him. 

_Things worth working and sacrificing for, are worth waiting for, are they not, William?_ came the Keeper's voice once again to his mind. _Patience is a part of the faith you must keep hold of, or that which you seek the most shall slip through your fingers._

Billy paused, frowning at the memories. What his friends had just said to him was absolutely true; there was a very good chance that if he continued on his own, it would all be for naught. _But to try and find her feels so right, even if she never will love me ever again. But can I really leave my friends? he wondered,_ looking from one teammate to the other. _ What do I do?_

At last his eyes rested on Kahva's face. _So much like Sheena, and so different at the same time. _ He found it frighteningly easy to substitute his wife's features for Kahva's, and nearly broke down completely right then and there. _ Faith. The one thing that everyone has told me I must have. Faith._

The warmth in Billy's heart grew and grew, as he finally was able to let go of the last of his anger and grief. _I know what I have to do. _ He gently released Kahva from the hug he'd kept her in, then faced all of his friends at once. "Guys," he started, his voice cracking ever so slightly, "you can give up and go home if you want to," he spoke through his tears, the tears that were still slowly travelling down his cheeks, and the tears he had not yet shed. "But I'm not giving up. I'm going to find the Crystal of Truth, I'm going to find Sheena, and I'm going to drive Zimmer's head so far through his spine it's going to come out of his toes!" he swore. "I love Sheena, and I'm not going to give up on her, not ever!" 

"Even if it means abandoning your friends and family?" the Keeper's voice cut in, quiet and firm. "Even if it means you could lose your own life in the process, and that Sheena could belong to Zimmer for all time, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to win back her freedom and her heart? Are you willing to risk hurting your friends and family with the possible loss of yourself in addition to the loss of Sheena? Are you prepared to lose everything for this one you love, though all your sacrifices may be in vain?" 

The Sapphire Ranger glared directly at the Keeper, a fast growing conviction and strength filling his tone. _ Yes. Even though it's too late now, I know this truth, my truth, beyond the shadow of any possible doubt. I will do this, no matter what. _ "Yes. I am not going to give up, I'm not going to just stop now and let Zimmer win outright. I'm not going to give up, not ever! Sheena is the only one I'll ever love, and if it takes me until the end of time, I will find a way to free her, or I will die trying! I will _not_ give up!" His voice spiraled up high and firm, his conviction and determination unshakable. 

In the next instant, a faint greenish glow surrounded everyone and everything around them for a moment, abruptly disappearing in the next. Billy looked around and saw they were no longer in the jungle, but on top of a mesa, surrounded on all sides by ancient, broken columns, standing in a circle around a fire pit, in which a small fire burned. An altar stood solemnly at attention by the pit, seemingly calling all there to a nearly reverent attention. Everything atop the mesa seemed to be waiting eagerly for something, or someone. "How on Earth. . .Where are we?" he asked, awestruck. The planet's suns were just now sinking below the horizon, one right after the other, setting the skies ablaze in a wash of reds, purples, oranges and rosy, wispy pinks. "Magnificent," he murmured, enthralled by the beauty. _Sheena would love this place._

"Billy? Guys, he can hear us again, it's over! Billy!" Rocky shouted happily, leading the others in a happy race to the Sapphire Ranger. "Man, you did it! You passed, you passed!" 

"I - I. . .passed?" he stammered, not quite realizing at first what had just occurred. "Wait. . .that was my _trial_? None of that was real!" 

"If you had given up, my dear William, the end result would have been as real as the trial you underwent. And before you ask. Sheena has not become fully Zimmer's. yet." 

In stunned silence, the Rangers and Kahva all turned towards the voice they had come to know so well over the past several hours. Standing by one of the larger columns, where all of them could clearly see her, was the Keeper. Slowly, the woman who had chosen them removed her green cloak, tossing it off to one side, finally revealing herself to them. 

She was lean and tall, over six feet, and very well muscled, in a strong, yet still feminine, beautiful way. Long, bronze hair sprinkled with blonde and coppery highlights fell past her shoulders, and her eyes glowed with warmth and caring. In one hand she carried a long staff, which seemed to be more than a simple tool or weapon, but an extension of herself, her will, even though it was riding casually in her hand, not threatening anyone at all. She was clad only in a green leather bikini, which fastened over one shoulder and led to a green leather gauntlet of sorts, which wound down her arm. Matching green leather, knee-high boots completed the image of a lethal beauty, and proud warrior. 

All of the Rangers stared in wonder at the woman standing before them, completely awestruck. Kahva paled, however, gasping when she saw her. "It can't be. D-Dulcea!"

* * *

"Klank! KLANK!" King Mondo roared impatiently. "Are you ready with my monster yet!" 

_I wonder if I can somehow 'accidentally' damage his voice board during one of his routine power downs, _Klank mused to himself. _Well, of course I could! Doing it without being turned into a fancy trashcan though, that's the trick._ "Yes, sire," Klank called out to his master, who had taken to pacing back and forth in Klank's lab when he had grown bored with pacing in this throne room. "I shall be ready with your monster in a matter of minutes." 

"It's about time, you clattering bucket of bolts!" Mondo gave a metallic snarl. "Don't waste any more time! The Silver Ranger has left the Earth, the other Rangers seem to have gone after her, I want that planet to be mine before they get back! I don't want them to have a home to come back to!" 

"Yes, sire, I know, but the final adjustments on the monster -" Klank tried to explain. 

"How much adjusting could a monster need when it's only going to be wrecking a defenseless planet and terrifying ordinary humans!" Mondo bellowed, beginning to spew impatient smoke and sparks. "Quit wasting my time and get my monster down to the Earth with every Cog I have right _now_!" 

"Yes, sire," Klank sighed. _'Get every Cog down there right now!', he says! You give him an inch and he'll take a light-year! I'm a scientist, not a miracle worker!_ Klank grumbled mentally. _ Well, if he wants his monster down there 'right now', then right now is what he shall have! I won't be held responsible for anything that goes wrong!_ Klank's determination didn't prevent him from doing a last, speedy check on the monster's systems though. and plan a fast way out of the SkyBase should the whole operation blow up in the Machine King's face. 

_Stupid metal fool! _ Mondo growled softly as his thoughts grew darker and darker. He intensely watched Klank as the majordomo bustled about his lab, quickly checking this thing and that, rapidly driving Mondo's patience out of the observation window and far out into space. _He doesn't realize what this could mean!_ Mondo decided to soothe himself with some of the comfort the readings that Klank had gathered from Earth had given him. _Sheena's power readings haven't been this low since the time before she was a Power Ranger! That must mean she's left the team, and with the Rangers leaving Earth as well, they must be trying to get her to rejoin the team. That has to be what is going on! _ Mondo waddled over to Klank's computers, impatiently going over the latest interpretations of the odd readings. _What! According to this, when the other Rangers left, they apparently did not take their morphing devices, and the Sapphire Ranger's readings are as low as Sheena's. Has he left the team as well? _ Mondo started laughing softly to himself, earning a strange glance from Klank, but he didn't care. _ Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. Neither he nor Sheena are bearing Ranger powers right now, the others have separated themselves from their morphing devices, they are all helpless! And, most importantly, not on Earth. _ Mondo frowned at the set of readings that indicated something had come to Earth before the Rangers had left. _I wish Klank would figure out what these mean! Wait. Could it be that the Rangers have left because someone has run them off of the planet? Perhaps they have been defeated already, or replaced? _

Mondo started to pace again, returning finally to his throne room, much to Klank's well-hidden relief. The prospect of new Rangers being on the Earth didn't sit too well with the Machine King, and the thought someone could have beaten him to the defeat of the Rangers irked him greatly. _ No, it can't possibly be that, I would be able to tell if it were. For whatever reason, the Rangers have left the planet, and have not taken their morphing devices with them. Sheena left first, I must assume they are chasing after her, or left at her request._ Again, the other readings nagged at him, but after a few moments, Mondo shoved them aside, determined not to let them get in his way. 

_I don't care if they've left for training somewhere, a vacation, or if they have been ostracized by Earth or Zordon himself. For whatever reason, they are gone, and the time to strike is MINE!_ The evil metal overlord gazed greedily out of the large, oval observation window in his throne room at the peaceful, blue-green orb floating in the sea of space. The bright, planetary jewel beckoned to him like a seductive muse, luring him into an attack, urging him to try his worst. _Humans have a myth about the Sirens call. I will not let this little planet lure me into a possible trap. I've waited and worked for far too long to have something unexpected spoil my plans now! _"Klank!" he bellowed over the intercom. "I have a slight change in plans for you. You'll not send _all_ of my Cogs to Earth. but you will send a little something extra." 

As he detailed the new plan to his servant, the Machine King barely managed to suppress the triumphant laughter boiling up inside him._ Rangers, you should never have left home. because now, I'm going to make sure you won't have a home left to come back to!_

* * *

"This is impossible! You can't be here, your storyline is different!" 

"Yet I am here, Kahva Briton, as are you," the Keeper replied, an amused tone to her voice. "And you are correct about my name, though I'm not quite sure how you could have known it." The Keeper's voice took on a puzzled slant then, but she did not seem angry or disturbed by Kahva's outburst in the least. "If you please. what is a storyline, and why do you say mine is different?" 

"Oh my gosh, you're real," Kahva breathed in amazement, earning herself puzzled stares from the Rangers this time. "I knew I'd heard your voice before! I don't know who you are here other than the Keeper, but in my world, you are Dulcea, Guardian of the Ninjetti Temple on Phaedos!" Happy memories of Sheena dragging her to see the first Power Ranger movie briefly flooded Kahva's mind, along with the comments her soul-sister had made on how handsome Billy had looked in the body armor in the movie. Both of them had been very impressed with the character of Dulcea, and now, here was that very character. but here she was completely real, not an actress. _Sheena spotted her ex-boyfriend Jay in the theater drooling over the actress; I wonder how he'd react to the real thing! The character in the movie handily trashed almost a dozen Tengas single-handedly,_ Kahva remembered. _But how is she here! The Rangers have never fought Ivan Ooze!_ "You were in the first Power Rangers movie where I'm from, but the Rangers here have never met the villain from that movie, so you shouldn't be here, you're in a different storyline - I think my brain is warping," Kahva groaned lightly. "This dimension just gets stranger and stranger." 

The woman looked calmly at her, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "In this universe, I am Dulcea, Guardian of the Ninjetti Temple, and you are indeed on the planet Phaedos, my brave ones." Dulcea stood up even straighter and smiled at them all with great pride. "I am also the Keeper of the Crystal of Truth, and I have watched over you all during the time of your quest. I am very proud to say you have all passed your trials. You are to be congratulated, for none have passed the trials during my centuries as Keeper, until now." 

She looked first to Tommy. "You have accepted that it was not your fault that Sheena was captured, that there was nothing you could have done ahead of time, or done differently to prevent the event. What has happened is the fault only of Zimmer, who you now realize has been planning this for quite some time." Placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder, she finished, "You have realized and finally accepted that you have done you best for the team at all times, and that mistakes are natural to all. You said it yourself, Tommy. The only crime in a mistake is failing to learn from it. You were, and still are, a fine leader and warrior." 

Her eyes fell next to Tanya. "You have finally dealt with the many losses life has handed you, and accepted that you can have things and love people without losing them. You have conquered your doubts over the life choices you have made, and of your right and worthiness to be a Ranger. Though you know this in your heart already, I will state it now for the record, should anyone in the future that you deal with doubt your abilities: Aisha made exactly the right choice to send you back in her place with the Zeo Crystal fragment she had traveled back in time to retrieve, and you have more than lived up to the rigors of being a Ranger. As a Warrior of the Light, I tell you honestly and freely that Zordon himself could not have made a better choice." Tanya looked close to fainting at this high praise, but she centered herself and nodded with a very grateful smile of thanks at the Keeper. "You have learned not to fear loving, Tanya, or being loved. Some people go their entire lives being afraid to lower the walls around their hearts." Tanya smiled in wordless thanks as Adam hugged her close. The Keeper gave them a second, then looked Adam directly in the eyes. 

"You, Adam, came to understand that you and Billy will always be friends, regardless of the changes your lifepaths have brought to you," Dulcea spoke, her warm eyes on the Green Zeo Ranger. "Some friendships become forever damaged when one of the friends enters marriage, and all because of a decrease in the time spent together. Some people are afraid to let go, because they are afraid that by letting go, they will lose the friendship, when in a true friendship, nothing could be further from the truth." 

_Wish Emily could learn that_, Jason couldn't help but think, as he listened to the beautiful warrior state aloud what each team member had learned in their individual trials. _ Too bad the Keeper can't go talk to her. Somehow, I think she'd get through to Emily._

Dulcea's soft, accented tones broke into Jason's thoughts, pulling his mind back to the matters at hand. "Adam, you have learned that the heart that can love many, will be loved by many more, and will never be abandoned or forgotten or neglected by those who are truly friends. You have also realized you are worthy of such friendship, little frog," she finished, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. 

The seriousness of the moment was broken by muffled giggle from Kahva, who flashed Adam a lopsided, apologetic grin. "I'm sorry. but she kissed you in the movie too." 

Adam blushed severely, though none were quite sure if it was from Kahva's revelation, or the actual kiss itself. Rocky gently elbowed his long-time friend and whispered none too softly, "Just your luck, you get kissed by a beautiful warrior woman in fiction and reality. You've got to tell me how you do it, man!" 

Dulcea raised a quizzical eyebrow first at Kahva's comment, then Rocky's, then smiled and shielded Adam from any further embarrassment by placing Tanya's hands in his, then offered a blessing. "May the sun always shine on your love, and bless you for all eternity," she told the Yellow and Green Zeo Rangers, gifting them with a radiant smile. "As you both have learned, you are both worthy of love, and being loved. Never let this most precious of gifts out of your hearts, except to share your love with your friends. Love grows and becomes more precious and beautiful with giving, not hoarding." 

Rocky blushed as the warrior walked over to him next, and he suddenly found it very hard to look at the Amazon-like beauty directly. "You, dear Rocky, rose past your feelings of inadequacy and sense of being replaced, to realize true friendship and respect where it was offered to you, and to accept it. You have come to realize that the jealousy and sense of being unneeded were natural reactions to the changes in your life and on the team, and that you should not feel guilty for having those feelings. You also learned that to properly deal with those feelings, the 'little things', you must talk about them, not bury them inside yourself and deny their existence. 'Little things' are trivial in their own time, that is true. But to ignore them, to allow the 'little things' to build up is dangerous, for if not dealt with honestly, they will one day explode, with potentially dangerous results. Do not ever deny your feelings, or your heart, my brave warrior. To do so, is to deny yourself your own truth, and happiness." She smiled at him just as she had the others, playfully ruffling his hair. "You have also shown in the trials of the others that you are not only quick with humor when needed, but logic and compassion as well. As you know now, you have always been, and always will be, a fine warrior for the light, Rocky." 

"Katherine," the Keeper continued, turning to face the Pink Zeo Ranger, "You have conquered the darkness in your heart, and now know that sometimes, a life must be given to save others, though in reality, you have always known that." Dulcea beamed at her, eyes shining with pride. "Like Tanya, you have often questioned your right and worthiness to be a Power Ranger. You have also doubted whether or not you truly deserved the love of one who was once your enemy," she said, nodding towards Tommy. "Let me tell you all that these feelings are normal for those who battle for the light and the right. All warriors of the light feel guilty when they are called away from the ones they love, and sometimes cause pain in the leaving, no matter how hard they try not to. Sometimes, those warriors even wonder if they deserve love or close friendship at all. Believe me when I say that you all deserve all the love you are given, and so much more. Katherine," she focused in on the pretty blonde young woman, "you now know that you have not stolen anything from Kimberly or Tommy. Their lifepaths have taken their own course. Though your involvement in their lives did add a few twists and turns, what has happened is what was meant to happen. Though without your entering their lives as you did, they may have parted in a much different way, they both know in their hearts now that they are destined to be close, true friends. Nothing less, but nothing more. Kat, you never stole Tommy's love, you _earned_ it, just as you earned your place on the Ranger team. What is to be in the future, will be, but keep in mind that the future never stands still in certainty, until it itself becomes the past. Lastly," she said, placing her hands on Kat's shoulders, "you have always doubted that you truly had the strength to make the tough choices, should you have to face them. You have always feared you didn't have the true heart of a Ranger, that you lacked the inner strength to make the ultimate sacrifice, should its weight be placed upon your shoulders. My dear Katherine. now you know that you are stronger than you have ever realized. You were willing to let go of life itself to save your friends. Know from this day forward, you are worthy of the Power, and always have been. The Power never makes a mistake when it chooses its new partner in the battle against evil." 

"Thank you, Keeper," Kat breathed softly, even as Tommy moved to fold her up into his arms with pride. "You don't know what it means." Her voice trailed off, Kat was unable to put her feelings into words. Instinctively she looked over to Tanya, and their eyes locked together with understanding. Both had doubted their own worthiness, though for different reasons. To finally shed themselves of the last shrouds of self-doubt was a wondrous, joyous release for them, heart and soul. Their knowing smiles spoke volumes to all present, and to their eyes, the Yellow and Pink Rangers almost seemed to become taller with their new strength in their sense of self. 

Dulcea smiled at both young women and nodded. "I think I do. You are welcome, Katherine, and Tanya, but know that I did nothing. The strength, and the answers, were always within yourselves," she said, motioning to all of them now, "as all of you have learned. Jason," she called the Gold Ranger's name next, her attentions now falling upon him. "You understand yourself now, and the wisdom drawn from that will guide you to the right path in the days ahead. You have finally dealt with the feelings of being replaced or shoved aside, much like what Rocky felt," Dulcea smiled, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "For far too long you have blamed yourself for something none of you could have prevented: Tommy's kidnapping and forced servitude to Rita Repulsa and the forces of evil, and also your failure to reclaim the Green Candle which stole his original powers. You have always known with your mind that you did your best, but your heart has never forgiven itself until now. You have finally accepted that there are some things you cannot change, but that just because you cannot change them, it doesn't mean that the end results are your fault. You have faced your demons of doubt and insecurity, and now know that your heart always has been true. Let it guide you, along with the lessons you have learned in past and present, and you will know the way you need to go. I leave you with a word of caution, however. A caution that all of you must remember, for there will come times in all your lives where your heart, and belief in yourselves will be sorely tested. The path of right, and the path that is right for you, will sometimes cause you pain, and sometimes to those you love. To fall from the path to end the pain is the easy way out. but wrong, and will only cause more pain in the end, because to fall from the path is to lie to not only those around you, but to yourself." To Jason, she whispered softly, "Keep your promise to yourself. Contact Kimberly and talk out your feelings." 

After Jason's wordless promise to talk with Kimberly, the Keeper moved from him, with Kahva and Billy becoming the objects of her attention next. "Kahva, you stood up for what you knew was right, and would not back down no matter what. You have always been fiercely loyal and protective of your friends, and even total strangers at times, true?" Dulcea asked, though by the tone of her voice, it was clear she already knew the answer. "But you have never felt like you could stand up for yourself, as if you did not have the right, simply because you were a bit different from those around you. I do not know how you came to believe this on a subconscious level, or why. However, there has also always been the part of you that is the fighter. The one that fights always for your friends, but that can also fight for yourself. Now you know that there is nothing, not a single reason why you cannot, and should not stand up for yourself, no matter how appalling the odds are against you. You've always had the strength to stand for what you know is right, to stand up for yourself. Now you know there is nothing wrong in doing it." The Keeper placed her hands on Kahva's shoulders, looking her directly in the eye. "Kahva, sometimes the toughest enemy one must face is ourselves. What others believe of us, or have said of us, to us. those can be the deadliest, most crippling weapons ever used against us, because they find our deepest doubts and fears, and turn them into massive obstacles. You have always known you are loved, now you know that love can give you strength in your darkest hour, even when the ones who love you seem to be against you. Like in all the other trials, had you not passed, the consequences would have been grave." 

_If I hadn't passed, the Shifters would've had Tommy and Billy, and the clone would've._ Kahva shivered as the full impact of what she already knew hit her fully, knotting her stomach terribly. The Keeper surprised her by hugging her, reassuring her. 

"You are far stronger than you realize, Kahva Briton. You passed by believing in yourself as much as those who love you believe in you. Never forget that your friends not only have great faith in you, they love you deeply. That love will give you strength, never forget that." 

"But if my friends believe in me so much, why have most of them doubted me ever since everything started at the carnival?" Kahva blurted out before she could stop herself. "I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't have said that -" 

"No, it's a fair question," Tommy assured her, as they all turned to the Keeper expectantly. "Dulcea," he said, at last daring to use her name instead of her title, "why didn't we believe Kahva? Is there something wrong with us?" 

"You shall receive your answer when it is the right time. Now is not the time, not yet," the Keeper said, her voice suddenly taking on a sad note. "You must believe me when I say that I cannot give you the reason why, but that you will know the reason soon enough. Billy," she started, ending the questioning before it could go any further, "you refused to give up, no matter the cost to yourself, to save the woman you love. In the hours before the carnival, you and Sheena both questioned whether or not your love was indeed true and pure, or induced by your ancestors. You know now that your love is of the purest of feelings, for only those who can love so deeply and fully would be able to risk so much, to give up so much, for the one who completes them, makes them whole. Love that is induced can never reach such a level, my dear Sapphire Ranger. Your greatest hidden fear is that something could happen that could weaken your love. You know your truth now: your love is pure, and not something created." 

"Sheena and I told each other as much before the carnival," Billy replied, smiling with a warmth and self-assurance that buoyed the others' spirits tenfold. "Saying it is one thing. to have that commitment tried and tested to the extreme is something else though. Though I was sure in my mind that our love was pure, there was still that tiniest doubt that we were influenced, subconsciously coerced into our love." Billy twisted the wedding band on his finger, smiling as he remembered the moment Sheena had placed it there. "When I heard everyone trying to get me to give up for my own sake, I knew they were doing it only out of love, but I also knew deep down I couldn't give up, I had to keep searching for Sheena no matter what. Not because of obsession or revenge, but because of love." 

Dulcea, the Keeper of the Crystal of Truth beamed proudly at him, her countenance proclaiming his personal victory. "Well done, Sapphire Ranger. Well done to all of you," she said, motioning for all of them to stand around her in a loose circle. "Each of you has learned something about yourselves and those around you, each of you has learned one aspect of your true inner being. Only those who have learned something of themselves, who have realized a truth of themselves and have accepted that same truth, can claim the Crystal." 

Dulcea stood up even taller, her eyes burning with the fire of truth and light, and the flame of justice comforted the young people. "It is almost done now. Only three things remain: the questions of truth, of love, and of commitment. Only if you answer those correctly will the Crystal be yours." 

In between them all there suddenly was a crystal, completely translucent, and shining with the brilliance of a miniature sun. "Only then will you have the chance to save your friend."

* * *

"What the - !" David nearly flew out of his skin when every alarm in the Power Chamber started going off at the same time. "What's going on?" he half-snapped to Alpha. "What's wrong?" _Man, what am I supposed to do now? I told Tommy I felt my place was here, but what the heck am I supposed to do?_

"There's a monster in downtown Angel Grove! It looks like Mondo found out we're a few Rangers short!" The little robot quickly turned the volume of the alarms down to a more manageable, less ear-splitting level. "Aquitian Rangers, we're going to need your help!" 

The five Rangers were there almost before Alpha had finished the sentence, the Treys right on their heels, if somewhat sluggishly. "We will deal with the matter," Delphine said quietly. "Mondo may have attacked while the defenses of Earth are low, but they are not non-existent. Rangers of Aquitar, we need full power!" In five globes of light, the Alien Rangers left to do battle with Mondo's forces. 

"Be careful," David whispered, surprised to find that he had been holding his breath. _They're gone, doing what Power Rangers everywhere do: fight off the forces of evil._ "Don't let Mondo trick you." 

Which one of the Treys tried to teleport out to the battle, David wasn't sure. But the movement caught his attention, and he moved to stop the three selves of the Lord of Triforia before any of them could leave. "No. You are too weak to battle against Mondo's monster, you're not going anywhere," he calmly told them, addressing them as the one being they were meant to exist as. "The Aquitian Rangers will call if they need our help, trust me. In the meantime, you won't do anyone any good if you go out there and get hurt." David kept a firm, steady hand on the teleportation controls, preventing the Treys from leaving the safety of the Power Chamber, all the while hoping he sounded more calm and in control than he felt. _ What am I going to do if they challenge me? Even weakened, they know more about fighting Mondo's forces than I do, and would probably still do a better job!_

The young man knew, though, that he was doing the right thing, and stood firm by the controls. Fully steeled for an argument, he was greatly relieved when the Treys agreed with him, if somewhat reluctantly. "You are correct, David," Trey of Wisdom conceded at last. "But we will still stand ready to assist in whatever way we are able, no matter our physical condition." 

"I wouldn't expect less of a Power Ranger," David smiled, clapping a hand on their shoulders in turn. "Maybe you could help me make some sense of all these monitors and controls. If we can keep a close eye on things from here, maybe we can give the Aquitian Rangers the advantage." _I hope that sounds like an intelligent thing to do, because I have no clue about what I can do other than that!_

"A wise decision," all three Treys responded, smiling. David nodded his thanks, then followed Trey of Wisdom to the energy scanners, where they could hopefully spot any power surges or fluctuations which could mean a nasty surprise for their friends in the battle. 

YOU CAN OBSERVE THE FIGHT ON THE VIEWING GLOBE, Zordon instructed the treys and David, he himself sounding mildly anxious. SO FAR, THE BATTLE HAS NOT INTERFERED WITH OUR MONITORING OF THE PLANET WHERE THE RANGERS AND KAHVA ARE WITH THE KEEPER. HOPEFULLY, THIS MEANS THAT MONDO HAS NOT YET FIGURED OUT WHERE THEY ARE. _Thank the Great Spirit for small favors,_ David thought, silently whispering a prayer of safety for his brother and the questors as he turned to look at the crystal in the wall. _Please keep them safe, keep them all safe, my friends here on Earth, and my friends who are so far away. Please look after my brother; bring him and all of my friends home safe and whole, and Sheena with them. _ He found himself holding his breath yet again, as now his attention was torn between the battle in Angel Grove and the far away quest for the Crystal. _Be careful, all of you. Please._

* * *

_I think I'm more nervous now than during the trials!_Tanya thought anxiously, watching as the Keeper slowly turned in their midst, eyeing every one of them closely. 

_It has come down to the end, to three questions. Who will have to answer them? One of us? All of us?_ Adam found himself wondering. He reached for Tanya's hand, and realized she was trembling a bit, just like he was. Oddly enough, discovering that he wasn't the only one nervous and just a bit scared comforted him, and he gave Tanya's hand a reassuring squeeze as he watched the Keeper's movements closely. 

Dulcea looked at them all in turn, her eyes landing at last on Tommy. "Have you ever been envious of your cousin's power or position?" she asked quietly, without any preamble. "She is a natural leader, something which you had to work towards, and in which you never truly had complete faith in yourself about." 

Everyone stared in shock at both Dulcea and Tommy for a moment, not believing what the warrior had just asked of their former leader. In the next moment, everyone found their voice, and a cacophony of questions would have rung out, if Tommy hadn't put his hand up. "Guys, it's all right." He looked to the Keeper, his heart already knowing the answer without knowing exactly how he knew. "Yes, there have been times when I wished my powers were as strong as hers, and there have been times when I wished I could've been a natural leader like she is. But I also know that I did my best when I was leader. I made mistakes, but I believe I learned from them. When the time was right, I stepped down, just like Jason did when the time was right for him to step aside. I hope that one day Sheena will have the wisdom to recognize that her time will end, just like mine did, and will give the position to someone who is suitable. I have faith in her, and in myself. Yes, once I was jealous and envious. No more. I've always done my best, and that's all that I can do. That's all any of us can do." 

The Keeper nodded, flashing Tommy a slight smile, then slowly walked over to stand in front of Billy. "If Sheena had left you of her own free will, and not because of a spell, would you still seek her out regardless?" 

Everyone looked even more shocked at this question than they had at the last, but Billy seemed to be thinking about the question carefully, rather than getting upset. Finally, he replied, "If Sheena had left me because of her own free will, and for no other reason, then I would let her go. I love her with all my being, but I love her too much to try and keep her where she doesn't want to be. I can't stand here and say I love her if I tried to keep her from following her own heart. That wouldn't be love, that would be possession, just like what Zimmer's trying to do, possess her. I've never wanted to own her, just love her. If she ever does leave me, of her own free will, I'll let her go. But I'll never stop loving her. I'll love her until the day I die." 

Dulcea smiled, nodded that he had answered correctly, then began her pacing inside of their circle again. All at once, the young people noticed the area inside their circle was getting brighter. Startled, each threw a questioning look at the others, then suddenly they all realized that it was the Crystal was growing brighter with each right answer. Seemingly oblivious to their surprise and wonderment, the Keeper stepped around inside the circle once more, and at last paused in front of Kahva. The quiet young woman caught her breath; she'd never thought that she would be asked one of the questions. _Me? She's going to ask me! Oh, please don't let me screw this up God, please! _the young woman fervently sent her prayer winging up to the heavens. _I hope I can do this... Only this question stands between us and the Crystal, between us and Sheena's freedom. Please let me be able to do this, please don't let me screw everything up!_

The silence was so thick it seemed that even time itself could not wade its way through the anxious group. Dulcea seemed to look at and right through Kahva all at once, and the young woman felt as though her very soul was being invaded, brought up and laid bare for all to see. In the next moment, or it could have been several minutes later for all any of them knew, the Keeper of the Crystal of Truth spoke at last. "Who is Sheena committed to the most?" 

The question fell from Dulcea's lips and landed on Kahva's ears like a deafening thunderclap and she blinked hard, mentally reeling for a second from the impact. The Rangers went stark white at the question, then as one they all gasped in disbelief. Kat was the first to react, stepping forward with hands forcibly unclenched, but shaking her head in indignant anger nonetheless. 

"How on Earth can you possibly ask her something like that! That's not a fair question, Sheena is like a sister to Kahva and she's deeply committed to Billy! She would never try to choose between the two of them, she loves them both!" Dulcea didn't seem to pay any attention to Kat's protest, instead focusing her complete attention upon the young woman she was questioning. "She loves them both!" Kat shouted again. 

Instead of acting angry at the Keeper's question, though, Kahva merely nodded slowly, deep in thought. "Yes, she does," she murmured in agreement with Kat's statement, her voice trailing off softly. 

"Kahva Briton, the question has been presented. Do you have an answer?" Dulcea prompted with a calm, expectant tone. 

Kahva's eyes closed in thought for a few moments, then she looked up smiling. "Sheena is committed to every single one of the Rangers on the team. She's committed to me as a soul-sister, Tommy as a cousin, and Billy as the love of her life. She would never choose between any of us. But who is she committed the most to? None of us. She is committed the most to upholding the responsibilities of a Power Ranger. Protecting the innocent. Fighting for good. Seeking out the truth. She would never knowingly hurt anyone who is innocent, nor would she ever hurt any of us on purpose. She is first and foremost, the Silver Ranger, and just like all of the Rangers, she will defend the side of good, knowing the enormous risk she takes in that battle. If we can break the fascination trance Zimmer has woven around her, she will continue to do so. We've gone through tests for her, and answered questions for her. She would the same for any of us, or even for a complete stranger. So who is she committed to the most? She's committed to the cause of justice and the defense of the world the most. The side of good." 

Dulcea smiled at that, and held out one hand. The Crystal, almost like an obedient pet, floated over to her, hovering brightly over her outstretched palm. "My young warriors, I congratulate you. You have passed the trials most admirably. You have truthfully, honestly and correctly answered the questions of truth, love and commitment. You have earned the Crystal of Truth with the greatest of honor. Rangers, you have only to place it in Sheena's hand to have it destroy the web of lies Zimmer has woven about her. But be careful, for once I transfer temporary guardianship of it to you, Kahva Briton, it will be known to all in the cosmos that the Crystal moves about in the universe once more, and in your hands. All powerful entities of good and evil shall be aware you possess it for the here and now... including Zimmer." 

"Then maybe one of us should take it," Jason interjected. "Kahva isn't a Ranger, and if the Crystal is going to make her a target-" 

"It will be as safe in her hands as any of yours," the Keeper assured them gently. "When I say that all powerful entities shall be aware she possesses it, I do not mean that they will immediately know she is the one who has it. All powerful entities will feel the passing on of the Crystal of Truth, and the very powerful will be able to determine where the Crystal is moving. But until they can actually see any of you, they will not know who exactly has the Crystal." Dulcea frowned a bit then, and continued, "Some beings are powerful enough though, to be able to sense or divine that the Crystal moves in the midst of the Power Rangers of Earth. Therefore, your passage to your friend must be very quick, to avoid the risk of detection for as long as possible. Until the Crystal is safe with its Keeper, all those who carry it are at risk." Dulcea gave Kahva a long look, as if offering her a chance to back out. "Until the Crystal is safe with its Keeper, you are its temporary Keeper, Kahva. Rangers, you are considered to be guardians of the Crystal and its Keeper as well, until it is safely with its Keeper again. Do you accept the risk?" she asked of them all, looking at Kahva the whole time. 

"I accept the risk and the responsibility. We all do." As each Ranger nodded firmly in solemn agreement with Kahva's words, Dulcea smiled and motioned to the Crystal, as if she was in silent communication with it. Kahva took a very long breath, as at the Keeper's beckoning, the Crystal floated slowly over and hovered in front of her. The young woman put one hand out, and the Crystal of Truth dropped lightly down into her palm. As it made contact with her skin, she could literally feel the power pulsating in her heart and soul. _ Oh, man... this is INTENSE!_ She could see everything so much clearer now... she could see that Dulcea did indeed guard the Ninjetti powers on this planet, but they had never been needed in this universe, which was why the Rangers hadn't known of her or Phaedos. She could also see that they had little time, for even now Zimmer was stepping up his timetable. 

"I'll bring this back when we're done, Dulcea, I promise. I won't let anything happen to the Crystal. We've got to go," Kahva said, closing her hand around the bright, pulsating orb, then turning to look at the others. "Sheena's time is running out."

* * *

"Zimmer?" The almost-drugged sound to Sheena's voice was purest nectar to his ears as he looked up from his desk to see her standing there before him. She was swaying ever so slightly as she looked at him, and he knew it was because of his spells. 

_Clarity will return to her once this is all over with. My clarity, none other!_ Zimmer favored the object of his obsession with a frosty, greedy smile. "Yes, my love?" He stood up, coming over to her and automatically putting his arms around her. He was rewarded by a soft kiss on the cheek, and a stroke of her fingers across his face. "I hope you enjoyed your walk," he fairly purred, brushing her lips with the lightest of kisses. 

She nodded slowly, her eyes half-lidded and almost sleepy looking. He pulled her quietly over to a wide chair and sat down, pulling her down to sit on his lap. "Good," he smiled, running his fingers through her masses of dark hair. _I have timed this precisely, and now only the final thread remains to be cast!_ With a mere flick of his hand, he ordered the bodyguards out of the room. _ I will have no witnesses to this; I will not risk any possible interference!_ "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in all the universe," he breathed into her ear, smiling as she blushed faintly. Though he knew Sheena was accustomed to male attentions, he was going to have a great deal of fun indulging in some of the more exotic things he had in mind. _ I do hope the rest of my empire can run itself without me for a few weeks,_ he giggled wickedly in his mind, shutting out all other thoughts and sensations, focusing entirely upon his prey. _Perhaps even for a few months. After all, I have fifteen thousand years worth of fantasies to catch up on._

Slowly he bent his head down to kiss her again, ignoring the warning tickling at the edge of his senses. Nothing in all the universes mattered now, save for the completion of his dark, obsessive hunt of Sheena. _ Oh yes. This is going to be a grand day indeed!_

* * *

"We are not doing well, Delphine!" Tideus exclaimed, as he and his leader were thrown next to each other in the middle of their battle. The Aquitian Rangers were fully engaged in the fight against Mondo's minions. Almost fifty Cogs had been sent to Earth with the Canisbot, a fierce canine robot armed with two swords and a very nasty attitude. For the moment, the monster seemed content to deal out potshots, as each Ranger currently had ten Cogs to deal with. Canisbot laughed mockingly at the Aquitian Rangers, attacking them whenever it liked. "We are not doing well at all! And we cannot summon our BattleBorgs unless Mondo makes the monster grow!" 

The White Ranger nodded, kicking away a pair of rather determined and annoying Cogs. "I am aware of that, Tideus. We must dispose of the Cogs, and then deal with Canisbot, before that event happens!" she shouted a tad breathlessly. "This would be much easier if we had the Zeo Rangers with us!" 

"Well, you don't!" Canisbot charged them in that moment, and in the next he was tossing both the White and Yellow Rangers around fiercely, almost ripping tears in their special suits with its deadly sharp blades. "And I'm going to make you wish you'd never come to Earth before I'm through with you!" 

As the monster boasted, Aurico and Corcus both blasted through several of the Cogs that had kept them corralled on the far side of the park-turned-battlefield, and launched a counterattack on Canisbot, sending the creature sprawling to the far side of the clearing. The Red and Black Rangers stood side by side, their swords still in their hands, ready to defend their friends as Cestro ran over to help them back up to their feet. 

"We must try some other method of attack, Rangers," Delphine groaned, wincing as what was surely a large bruise that had formed underneath her uniform throbbed painfully. "If we do not hurry, I'm afraid our friends could find naught but a defeated world when they return with Sheena." 

It had become almost an unwritten law that they absolutely would not speak of the Zeo Rangers returning without their leader; hopelessness and a sense of defeat were simply not things they would permit themselves to feel right now. They had to keep a positive outlook, or the grimness of the situation would overwhelm them. 

"I might have an idea," Cestro said quietly. "I will summon the Aquitar Waterfall, and then as Canisbot attempts to recover, we can hit it with all our power combined." 

Delphine thought it over quickly, then nodded her approval. "That should be successful," she agreed. "Should Mondo follow his standard procedure and send Klank and Orbus to enlarge the monster, we can then summon our BattleBorgs to deal with that." 

"One thing at a time," Aurico advised his friend. "Let us be ready to attack once Cestro has unleashed his Waterfall." 

The Blue Aquitian Ranger nodded as he stepped ahead of his friends, focusing his inner energies as the Canisbot managed at last to get back to its feet and turned around to face them again. The Cog troops around it weaved and bobbed, no longer wanting to get near the Rangers and their deadly swords. Now they were perfectly willing to let the monster take all the damage. "Leave this place, Canisbot, or pay the consequences!" 

"Do your worst!" the creature hissed menacingly. "I can take it!" 

The words had barely left the creature's mouth when Cestro unleashed all the power within him into the Aquitar Waterfall, summoning thousands of gallons of pure water to wash over the creature in a seemingly endless stream. As the other Rangers watched, Cestro did all he could to stay on his feet, as a rather pointed demonstration of the effects of water on electronics occurred, gifting them with an ear-splitting explosion. 

"It blew up," Cestro said wearily, his eyes widening in amazement. But as the smoke from the explosion began to clear however, he regretted saying anything at all. True, the Canisbot was no more... but in its place were five Zord-sized monsters, standing where he had been, and none of them looked happy. Mondo had sent a nasty little surprise for the Rangers: monster reinforcements. "We're going to need more help." 

But the only help the Aquitian Rangers had was currently in another galaxy.

* * *

Zimmer's heart pounded fiercely as if caught up in the heat of combat, though what he was caught up in was the heat of spell casting and his own twisted version of romance. His lips caressed Sheena's delicately, his hands slowly reaching to the belt around her waist. He had designed the gown for just this moment, so that all he would have to do was unfasten it, and then everything would be his to explore. _ Mine, all mine! I have won, I just need to cast this last thread!_ So involved was he in his evil enterprise, he never noticed the sensation of someone teleporting into his private sanctuary. 

"Hey!" he heard a vaguely familiar voice shout suddenly. Zimmer had almost a full second to turn his head before a powerful fist knocked him onto the floor and away from Sheena. He looked up to see all seven of the Power Rangers of Earth standing in a row, every last one of them absolutely livid. Cranston was the one who had hit him, and Zimmer wasn't surprised to see the Sapphire Ranger's fists were still balled up, clenched so tightly as to make his knuckles white. _What a total fool! How dare he strike me! Does he actually think he can stop me?_ Zimmer forced down a shiver though, as his attention had been finally pulled away from Sheena enough to recognize a warning tickle in the back of his mind. _No. I refuse to believe it, they are merely children! It simply isn't possible that they could have succeeded. Even if they did succeed, it cannot break my magic!_ he told himself, forcing his fears out of his mind. 

Zimmer's train of thought was broken though as Billy stepped forward, trying for now not to look at Sheena, who had fallen to the floor the moment he had punched out Zimmer. "Keep your hands off my wife," he growled menacingly, glaring at the wizard. "It's time for your lies to end!" 

A different, passionately angry growl caught everyone's attention then, one that was all too familiar to the Rangers. "Can't you take a hint, Billy!" Sheena snarled, leaping up in front of him, her eyes almost glowing faintly. "I don't love you anymore! You destroyed my heart and abandoned me for that sleazy little tramp of a so-called 'soul-sister' of mine! Leave me and my true love alone and get out of here! I'm staying with Zimmer forever!" 

Zimmer smiled nastily at the Rangers, barely suppressing an evil cackle of triumph. _ I won't have to do a thing, Sheena will do it all for me, and I haven't even finished casting the final thread yet! This is too perfect, I've won! I've beaten not only you, Kahva Kilanye, but the Power Rangers as well! I've won!_

Billy winced a little, looking at the revealing outfit Sheena was in. Black as a starless night, slit up to the hip on both sides, long hanging sheer sleeves, with side slits in those, a neckline that almost exposed everything else, and the entire garment was only held on by a loose belt. It was nauseatingly obvious what Zimmer had in mind for Sheena, and it took all of his self control for Billy not to become violently ill right on the spot. "Sheena, please forgive me," he whispered, seizing her quickly by the shoulders and doing something he'd never thought he'd do: he threw her to the far side of the room, knowing that the others would be going on with the rest of the plan at that point. 

"We know exactly what you did to her, Zimmer," the Sapphire Ranger hissed dangerously, focusing all his attention on the evil wizard. "I know what you've done, and I'm going to take it all out of your hide!" 

Zimmer snorted, scrambled back up to his feet, looking across the room at Sheena. She was coming back to her own feet after Cranston's somewhat unnaturally rude toss of her, shaking her head, trying to gather her senses. "You will do nothing, you insolent boy! Sheena is mine for all time, and you are nothing but a bad memory for her! You will _never_ get -" 

Zimmer shivered suddenly, as the warning tickling in his mind abruptly blossomed into a massive wave of pure truth-based magical energy. _There is only one thing that could put off such energy._ The evil wizard could feel his heart literally stop, as the one thing he'd feared could be true stepped without invitation into his carefully laid out plans. _Not the Crystal, they can't have possibly gained it, they are only CHILDREN!_ But try as he might, he could not deny what his senses were screaming at him, and an unaccustomed fear began to gnaw at his heart. No matter how much he tried to believe his power was greater than that of the Crystal of Truth, he knew its very essence was the opposite of his own magical powers. His powers, his magic, were based on lies, manipulation and deception. _If the stories about it are true, the Crystal could banish and destroy all such things. If it touches Sheena... NO! I refuse to believe one simple crystal can ruin me! It simply can't happen, not now! Not when I am so close to all I've ever desired!_

He caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, made by the Yellow Ranger, and whirled around barely in time to see she was throwing something towards Sheena. _It must be the Crystal!_ "Sheena, look out!" he shouted, moving with startling speed. _ I cannot let anything, no matter how minor it may be stop me! Not now!_ Zimmer threw up a magical shield in front of Sheena, and was rewarded with the soft 'thump' of whatever the Yellow Ranger had thrown at his captive landing on the ground. "Nice try, Rangers!" he mocked, not caring what he said. He could easily convince Sheena of whatever he wanted her to believe later, once the intruders were gone and he'd finished his spell. "But Sheena belongs to me, now and forever!" 

"You might want to rethink that," Tanya said, chuckling as she motioned to the object that had fallen on the floor. Zimmer glanced down, his eyes growing to the size of saucers when he saw not the legendary Crystal of Truth, but a small, ordinary baseball, an item from Earth. _No. NO! _ He turned, almost in slow motion, dreading what he was almost certain he was going to see. 

Sheena had been staring angrily at the Rangers during the incident, wanting nothing more than to throw them all out of Zimmer's palace. _I don't want to see any of them anymore, I want to be left alone with Zimmer! I quit the team, why can't they understand that! _ She started to step out and stop everything when gentle fingers grabbed her right hand from behind, uncurling her fist, and placing something cool and crystalline in it. As the smooth surface of the object touched her skin, pure power washed into her from it, and she became oblivious to everything but the sensation of whatever it was she'd been given. Sheena slowly drew her hand around from behind her, and saw a cool, pulsating, round crystal resting in it, glowing softly. _Who? How? What is this thing?_

Everyone's attention turned at once to her, and Zimmer growled when Sheena began to glow faintly, just like the Crystal in her hand. The Rangers could now see the tightly drawn net of shadows around her, all of them instinctively knowing these were the threads of dark magic Zimmer had cast upon her. Any remaining doubts about what Kahva had told them about the fascination trance flew away instantly, as each spell thread seemed to nearly catch fire from Sheena's contact with the crystal. The crystal's glow grew steadily brighter with every second, until they could no longer see her, just the crackling web around her. Zimmer snarled furiously when he saw the strands beginning to snap, first one, then several more in rapid succession under the Crystal's influence. 

Sheena closed her eyes and saw herself in the Power Ranger Museum on Eltar, meeting Zimmer for the very first time. She saw now how surprised he had been, and the possessiveness that had entered his heart in that moment. She saw how the first thread had been cast when he had kissed her hand before she had left for Earth. She saw how he had cast a spell on the pendant Master Madas had given her so that he could have a constant contact with her, no matter how far apart they were, and could cast his dark threads at his leisure this way. Her throat tightened as she saw how every time he had met her again, he managed to touch her again and increase the power of the spell, weaving more threads about her while in her presence. These threads joined those the pendant had helped him cast from his hidden sanctuary, as over the months he made certain the web was tight and strong around her. 

_I have to know the truth,_ she thought, throwing her mind back into the recent past. _I have to know what really happened yesterday._ Concentrating, she saw the real events that had happened at the carnival, how his illusions and his clone had driven her into his arms and away from her friends. _ I fell for it all, how could I have been so blind! _ Sheena couldn't be absolutely sure, but she had a gut feeling that the clone and Zimmer had caused her nightmares too, playing upon her hurt feelings that they had been responsible for to start with. _I have to know one last thing. What really happened between the clone and Kahva? Was what I saw between them an illusion, a total lie, a twisting of the truth? _ Sheena recalled the memory of Kahva and who she now knew was the clone behind the Haunted House. and gasped in pain and guilt. _NO! How could I have been so wrong! How could I have ever believed Kahva would betray me! Oh Goddess, my blindness was nearly her._ Sheena shook terribly, not even wanting to think of what could have happened. She knew full well now what Zimmer had done to her, that his fascination trance was why she had acted the way she did, had believed just what he had wanted her to believe. The knowledge did nothing to ease the ache in her heart at all of the pain that had been caused, though. It took all of her self-control not to race over to the man she'd thought she could trust implicitly, and tear him apart. _ I won't lose control, not now, not again! Not after practically being a puppet for a whole year!_

Even as her mind was clearing, everyone was simply staring at Sheena, holding their collective breath. No one was quite certain just what was happening to her, or how she would react. None, not even Zimmer dared approach her, while the crystal glowed. Finally, the glow faded, and they could see her face clearly again, a twisted mask of pain and anger. No one could read her expression, and all feared the worst. 

It was Zimmer who regained his voice and spoke first. "My love?" he asked softly. "Please, come to me." 

Woodenly, Sheena turned to him, her eyes full of tears. One of them slowly dripped down her cheek, and she clenched the Crystal of Truth even tighter, her knuckles turning white, her hand shaking. She took one step towards him, causing the hearts of everyone there but Zimmer to sink. "Zimmer," she gritted out, her voice thick with sorrow, grief and rage, "if you _ever_ come near me or my friends again, I'm going to rip your head off and stuff it so far up your rump you're going to be looking out of your mouth! I don't know why you did this to me, but I don't ever want to see you again!" Still clenching the Crystal tightly, she ran over to Billy and threw her arms around him, her tears falling freely now. "Oh, Billy," she whispered. "I'm so sorry... all of you. I'm so sorry..." 

"It wasn't your fault," Billy held her tightly, on the verge of tears himself. "It was his," he snarled softly, sparing a brief sideways glance at the evil wizard, then burying his face into Sheena's shoulder, fighting back the tears that were so close to falling. "I was so scared I would lose you forever." 

An outraged howl pierced the air, and everyone turned to see Zimmer glaring at the reunited couple. He then pointed somewhat over-dramatically at Sheena and proclaimed defiantly, "I _will_ have you, Sheena. You are my property, and though all the universes stand between us, you will be mine one day! _You will be mine!"_

"Don't even _think_ about it," Tommy growled. 

Zimmer merely smiled, stepping away. "Enjoy your victory for now," he said softly. "But I promise you, I shall return." 

Then he was gone, leaving only the echo of his taunting laughter behind.

* * *

"This isn't going very well, is it?" David asked. 

"Ay-yi-yi! No it isn't, David!" Alpha yelped. "The Aquitian Rangers need help, badly!" 

_Tanya told us they had the Crystal of Truth, then asked us to teleport her favorite baseball, plus their morphers, Jason's staff and the Power Crystals, surely that's a good sign, right?_ David thought, trying to reassure himself. _There's been no sign of them since then, however. Where are they? She asked for both Power Crystals, do they have Sheena back, or were they wanting the Silver Crystal just in case. David, stop it!_ he scolded himself. _You'll drive yourself crazy like this, you have to keep faith in them! Don't even think about them not coming back with Sheena, don't do it! _ "Are there any weapons, gun turrets, anything at all here at the Power Chamber that we can use to help the Aquitian Rangers?" 

In response, Alpha jabbed a robotic finger at a control panel to David's left. "That is the automatic defense system Billy installed two months ago, but it's only been tested in simulations, never in actual combat. I'm not sure how much power he has put into it either, he's still perfecting the system. Plus, it only defends the Power Chamber if it comes under attack, it isn't programmed for this kind of combat!" 

"Does it have the power to reach the battlefield if it were put into a type of manual mode?" Trey of Wisdom asked. "From what I know of Billy, he wouldn't have made the system purely automatic, with no way to manipulate it manually." 

"You're absolutely right David, he did put in a manual control!" Alpha-Five shouted excitedly, shuffling over quickly and frantically punching a code into the control panel. "I know it won't have the firepower of the automatic defenses, but it will give us something we can use!" David, Alpha and the Treys all clustered around the defensive control panel as a section of it slid away, allowing a small joystick-like device to rise up, along with a small targeting display. The rest of the panel adjusted accordingly, bringing up constant readouts of the Power Chamber's defenses, and real-time scans of the current battle. "It will take all of us to keep giving the Aquitian Rangers the readings we're getting, and to man the weapons, but it should work." 

The initial excitement died down however, as the limitations of the system quickly became apparent. The strength of the system was the powerful punch it could deliver against forces attacking the Power Chamber, but that power could not be maintained over the distance they needed to cover to aid significantly in the battle. "We'll only be able to fire the laser cannon intermittently," Trey of Wisdom said sadly. "I mean no slight to Billy's great intelligence at all; it is simply that this system, as Alpha warned us, was never programmed for offensive action, only defensive. That, and it was designed for relatively close battle, not something as long range as what we are dealing with. We won't be able to do any great damage to the monsters at all from this distance, just annoy them." 

"Then let's annoy them," David gritted out, grabbing the control for the laser cannon. "Somebody start giving me some readings, please?" he asked tautly. 

"We won't be able to do much - " Trey of Wisdom warned again. 

"I don't care what we can't do," David nearly shouted at the alien lord and warrior. "I just know that right now we've got friends out there who need our help; whatever it is that we can do." 

Trey of Courage shook his head, smiling. "You are truly Tommy's brother, and of the line of Kahva Kilanye and Tilrak Kilanye. David, if Tommy had never become a Power Ranger, you would have been an excellent one. Who knows," he finished, clapping the young man on the shoulder, "You may ever still be called upon to take the Diamond Power one day." 

"David is right," Trey of Heart spoke up. "We may not be able to provide much assistance in the battle with the defenses here, but we must join together and do what we can until the Earth Power Rangers return." With that, Alpha, David and the Treys set about to 'annoy' Mondo's monsters, as David had put it. They were only able to attack for short periods of time, and their attacks were only minor distractions at best, but they gave the Aquitian Rangers time to regroup and try new tactics. With every shot David fired, guided by instructions from one of the Treys, with every bit of new information Alpha, Zordon and the Treys were able to send the Aquitians, a little more time was bought. but the losing of the battle was only being delayed, not prevented. 

WE MUST CONTACT THE RANGERS AT ONCE, Zordon said resignedly. I AM AFRAID THAT THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO DO THIS. THEY MUST RETURN TO JOIN IN THE FIGHT AT ONCE, WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE RETRIEVED THE SILVER RANGER. IF THEY DO NOT, THEN THE FORCES OF EVIL SHALL SURELY DEFEAT THE AQUITIAN RANGERS. IF THAT HAPPENS, THE EARTH WILL FALL INTO MONDO'S HANDS. 

Alpha was already on the communicator before Zordon even finished. _I sure hope that what Tanya asked for earlier means they've rescued Sheena,_ Alpha thought worriedly as he put out the call for help. Yes, the Rangers had the Crystal of Truth, they knew... but what about the Silver Ranger?

* * *

Sheena had turned around to look behind her almost as soon as Zimmer had left, peering into the shadows._ There is only one person who could or would be there. In spite of everything I've done, she's still there for me. _ She forced herself not to cry at the memories of what she'd said and believed about her best friend while under Zimmer's power, and walked over to hug Kahva as her soul-sister emerged from her hiding place. "Sister," she whispered softly. "I'm so sorry! I should never have believed him, believed in him, over the most important people in my life. I should have come looking for you, instead of just falling for his lies." 

Kahva shook her head, tightly holding her own emotions in check, struggling to throw the mental block back up between herself and Sheena to keep her from picking up on the turmoil inside herself. "It's all right," she told her. "You're back, you have your own mind and will now, that's all that matters. We'd better get home, though," she shivered involuntarily, unable to hide the chilling, unsettling effect Zimmer's palace was having on not just her, but on all of them. "I don't like the feel of this place, or the idea of staying around here for very long." 

_She has to be hurting, I know her. If she doesn't want to talk right now, I'll let it go, but only for right now. I don't like the thought of staying here any longer than I have to either. _ "Let me get my clothes and things first," Sheena said, going over to where Zimmer had said her belongings were, mentally sending up a quick thank you as she found Zimmer had been truthful in that one instance. "There is absolutely no way I'm showing up in Angel Grove dressed like this!" 

A quick dodge into the bathroom later, with Kahva, Tanya, and Kat going along for privacy defense purposes, Sheena stepped back out, a slight frown on her face from having to put on the same dirty clothes she'd removed earlier. Even as she frowned, though, there was at the same time a light in her eyes that they hadn't seen shining in over a year: the light dimmed by Zimmer's spell. "Let's go home," she whispered, putting her necklace and rings back on. "Wait, my pocketbook! I can't find my pocketbook -" 

"You never had it at the carnival, sweetie," Billy assured her. "It's probably lying on our bed, relax," he smiled, hugging her. "Everything's all right now." 

_If Zimmer had taken that, I would rip him apart! _Sheena swore to herself, even as she tried to relax and calm her racing heart. _I can't replace -_

Tommy's communicator went off sharply at that very moment, cutting abruptly into her thoughts. "You were saying something about everything being all right?" Sheena half-teased Billy. "I thought you knew better than to do that, my dear." 

"Just what we didn't need," Tommy groaned, half-wishing Billy hadn't been able to modify their communicators to reach over half the universe. Raising his wrist, the Red Ranger tapped the communicator. "What is it, Zordon?" 

RANGERS, MONDO HAS SENT FIVE MONSTERS TO EARTH, AND WE HAVE BEEN HARD-PRESSED TO DEAL WITH THEM. AT THIS TIME, WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO SLOW THEM DOWN, WE NEED YOUR HELP. YOU MUST RETURN TO EARTH NOW, I AM AFRAID, WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN RESCUING SHEENA. I AM EXTREMELY SORRY, BUT THE EARTH NEEDS YOU NOW, RANGERS. 

Sheena took a deep breath, feeling the call to arms rising up within her. Part of her new clarity of mind said very plainly that she was a warrior, and she was now being called on to go into battle. _All right Mondo, you're about to learn not to mess with us at times like these!_ A sudden mischievous impulse took hold of her in that instant, and she motioned for Tommy not to indicate she was there with them yet. He nodded silently, feeling the mischievous imp rising in his cousin through their recovering link, then responded to Zordon's summons. "We'll be there as fast as we can, Zordon. Tommy out." 

As he closed the channel, Sheena smiled quietly. "Thanks for doing that. I'll have to stop by the Power Chamber to pick up my Crystal, I guess, or wherever you guys left it, and for some reason, I just want to surprise them. I'm not being too bad, am I?" 

Tommy chuckled and smiled, reaching into his pocket and holding out something to her. "No, but you're really going to surprise everyone now. I believe you're going to need this, Sheena. After all, we can't go into battle without our leader." 

Sheena was never certain after then just which crystal she had been happier to see, the Crystal of Truth that freed her, or the Silver Crystal that was a part of her heritage. "Thank you, Tommy," she whispered, taking it in her free hand and almost caressing it delicately with her fingertips. "Thank you everybody! But how did you know to go ahead and bring it?" 

"Call it the power of positive thinking," Kat grinned. 

"We knew there was a chance this wouldn't work," Rocky added. "We also knew we weren't going to give that chance a chance. Did that make sense?" 

Sheena laughed happily and startled Rocky by giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "It makes wonderful sense. Just like this does too: Silver Ranger Power!" As she spoke the three words, the familiar silver glow enveloped her body, but something was different about it this time. Sheena nearly fainted at the rush of power through her soul._ I. What! It was NEVER like this before!_ "What's happening!" Sheena's voice was strangled, then her eyes widened and she stood ramrod straight. 

Billy stepped towards her, fear plain in his eyes. "Sheena?" he whispered. "Sheena? Are you all right?" 

"Yes, Billy," Sheena smiled at last, her body finally relaxing as she stood before them as the Silver Ranger. There was so much relief in her voice it wasn't funny. "I don't think I've ever been more all right in my life!" she exclaimed as she removed her helmet, tucking it under one arm. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"She is simply experiencing the pure joy of truth that comes from being the new Keeper of the Crystal," Dulcea's voice echoed all around them suddenly. 

Kahva paled, as Dulcea's words drew her eyes to Sheena's hands. _Where did the Crystal go? I promised to bring it back, what's happened! What is Dulcea talking about? _ "What do you mean?" she managed to get out, her eyes glued to her soul-sister. She almost didn't see the astral projection of the Keeper appear in their midst, but once she realized Dulcea's image was with them, she nearly jumped out of her skin. _She could never do that in the movie! _she wanted to shout, but Kahva couldn't get the words to come out. _ What's going on here, what is happening to Sheena?_

"Once every generation, if there is a worthy individual, the Crystal of Truth is passed to a new Keeper. You, Sheena Devereaux Cranston, have been deemed worthy. You are the Keeper for your generation." 

Sheena's face went even paler than Kahva's at that proclamation. "But - but I didn't earn it! My friends brought the Crystal of Truth to me, I didn't do anything to deserve it. I was..." It had always been hard for Sheena to say she wasn't in control of herself, and she still couldn't bring herself to say it even now. "I - I was under a spell." 

The Keeper shrugged. "I do not choose who is to succeed me. The Crystal makes the choice, not I." 

"Wait a minute here. How do you know it chose her?" Adam asked. 

"Because I am the Keeper no longer. The Crystal is a part of you now, Sheena," the Keeper smiled softly at her. "Never again can you be deceived by illusions or lies of magical origin. Spells that bend and twist the truth can never be successfully cast on you again. But do not grow overconfident, for you are still vulnerable to all other types of magic, and your enemies will not be long in learning how to strike beyond your new protection. Zimmer Delnas especially will not give up his pursuit of you. But your world needs you now Sheena, you and your friends. Go, and may the Power of Truth protect you all." 

The Keeper's voice and image was beginning to fade away, but Sheena still had one last question. "Wait!" she called out quickly. "Do you know why Zimmer wants me?" 

"I do not know," she replied as her image faded from view. "But I am certain you will learn in your own time, Keeper of the Crystal. Farewell." Dulcea's voice floated away from the young people then, leaving them all staring at each other, overwhelmed by the turn of events. 

Billy was the first to find his voice, smiling faintly. "Let's go home," he murmured, hugging his wife close. "I think it's time to show everyone that you're back... to stay."

* * *

As the columns of red, yellow, green, blue, pink, gold, sapphire, silver-white, and pure white lifted out of his palace and vanished into the sky, Zimmer watched them, his eyes literally flaming with a cold fury. 

"I was so close," he growled softly. "I was so close to having her forever. Blast those Power Rangers!" 

_You're afraid of her, and I hope she's your worst nightmare! She will be your undoing, and you know it! _ Even Zimmer couldn't help but whirl around in surprise as his destroyed clone's words came back to his mind. The wizard shrugged off the warning, even as every fiber of his being told him that the child must have been in the shadows behind Sheena, that she had to have been the one who slipped his prize the Crystal of Truth. 

His eyes narrowed, following the trail of teleportation beams, counting the lights and realizing that was the only possible answer. The rumbling growl in his chest joined with his dark power, making the very ground beneath his feet quake with his barely controlled anger. "I won't ever stop, Sheena," as his rage cooled slightly to a simmer. "I won't stop until you belong to me, and no one will be able to stop me next time! Not your husband, not the Rangers, and not that stupid child, whoever she is! No one will stop me, do you understand!" 

"Though it take me another fifteen thousand years to claim you, I will, Sheena. _I will have you."_

* * *

The Power Chamber was as silent as a tomb once everyone returned from the battle. The Alien Rangers were suffering from moderate dehydration, and returned as quickly as they could to Aquitar, after giving Sheena and the others a warm welcome home, and heartfelt congratulations on their success in the battle, and the quest. David was still in the Power Chamber where he had watched the battle with Kahva. He had been every bit as surprised as Zordon and Alpha when all eight Zeo Rangers had teleported into the fray. Only Kahva's tight, worried expression had kept him from teasing her about keeping Sheena's freedom from Zimmer and subsequent return to the Rangers a secret. 

He had not been surprised, nor remotely disappointed in the serious damage and chaos the Power Rangers, fighting alongside the Aquitian Rangers, had proceeded to wreak upon Mondo's evil forces, however. _You don't mess with ANY world's Power Rangers when they're ticked off, you metal freak!_ he had wanted to shout to Mondo's face. But having been face to face with the Machine King once before was one time too many, and David was very glad to see his friends, cousin and brother back home and doing what they did best: defending the Earth. 

But now that it was down to just him, the Treys, Kahva, Alpha, Zordon and the Power Rangers, it seemed no one knew exactly what to do or say. _ They've all been changed,_ David thought, as he studied each one of the Rangers in turn, then Kahva. _ What happened to them on that planet?_ David quickly averted his gaze from Kahva as she began to stare down at the floor, then attempted to hide in the shadows, as she did far too often, in his opinion. _What the heck has happened to them all? _

IT IS GOOD TO HAVE YOU HOME AGAIN, SHEENA, Zordon finally broke the uncomfortable silence that reigned once they had all demorphed. He seemed to want to say something more, but in a rare moment of unease, Zordon was at a loss for words. 

"It's good to be home, too," Sheena replied at last, not looking directly at any of them, but with her arm tight around Billy's waist. Like Zordon, Sheena seemed to want to say something else, but the words wouldn't come out for her. Billy hugged her close and kissed her tenderly, intending to comfort her, but nearly sent his wife to tears instead. "Guys," she choked out at last, her grief and pain at last escaping, "I - I. for everything I said before... I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it, not really. I - I. thought I did... but now I know the truth." Sheena frowned and bit her lip, fighting to retain control of her emotions. At last she chuckled quietly, tightly, "I know more truth now than I ever thought was possible. It really hurts though, some of it... especially the parts about Zimmer. I honestly thought I had a good friend in him. A bit odd, yes... but still a friend." The Silver Ranger let out a long, shuddering sigh as she finally trusted herself not to break down in front of everyone and cry her eyes out. "How could I have been so blind." 

Tommy squeezed her shoulder. "We all make mistakes. It happens, it's life. As for being blind, Zimmer is the one who caused that, but now we at least know he can't do what he did again. The Crystal prevents that." 

"Yeah," Sheena nodded sadly. "I'm its Keeper now. I'm the Keeper now. How in the name of all that is holy am I supposed to be a guardian for something that I didn't earn! You guys were the ones who had to go do whatever you had to do to get it!" She took another careful breath, gathering her self-control together, battling herself to stay calm and collected. "I know from having the Crystal in me now that you all had to go on a quest to earn the Crystal for me to be freed. You guys did all the work. What did I do? Got myself enspelled and took off with an obsessed creep, that's what I did," she snorted in self-disgust. "Any one of you is far better qualified than I am to be the Keeper of the Crystal! Why me?" 

"You shall receive your answer when it is the right time. Now is not the time, not yet. You must believe me when I say that I cannot give you the reason why, but that you will know the reason soon enough," Kat softly repeated the Keeper's words. "She was referring to something else at the time, but I believe it applies here too. Sheena, maybe the reason why the Crystal chose you is because it either needs you, or it senses you are going to need it. Maybe you're the best one to protect it for this generation, who knows? But it picked you, and that can't be denied, or changed, I don't think." 

All of the Rangers nodded their agreement to Kat's words, and Sheena gave them a thankful smile in return, though still doubting her worthiness to be the chosen Keeper. "Kat, what did you mean by, 'she was referring to something else at the time'?" Trey of Wisdom asked, speaking up for the first time since he and his two other selves had welcomed Sheena home. "I am assuming something must have happened during the trials all of you faced?" 

"Something did," Tommy answered for them all. "Something that actually started back at the carnival." The Red Ranger cast his gaze about the room, searching for the one they'd hurt so badly, spotting her hiding in the shadows near Sheena, his brother David trying gently to coax her back out into the open. "Kahva, I don't know who or what is supposed to tell us why we didn't believe you at the carnival, but for all of us, I want to apologize again. If we had only believed you when you told us something was wrong, maybe none of this would have happened." 

"Zimmer would have gotten her anyway, later on," Kahva shook her head, reluctantly letting herself be led back to the group by David. "If that had happened, we might not have found out what was happening, or how to rescue Sheena before it was too late," she finished softly, looking at the floor and shivering. 

"I'd still like to know why we didn't believe you though," Tommy pressed on. "It's not like any of us to be so distrusting of someone else, especially of a friend. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm having to fight myself right now to make myself believe what Kahva just said. We can consciously fight it now, now that we're aware something's wrong, but whatever's wrong with us, it hasn't gone away." 

"Rangers!" Alpha yelped anxiously. "I may have the answer to your questions! The Keeper said that she discovered a few dark threads of magic attached to some of you once you were on Phaedos. She couldn't remove them after you were on the planet, but asked us to find a way to remove them once you got back." 

"Dark threads?" Sheena asked. "The others were tainted? When did this happen?" Alpha quickly launched into an explanation, showing the Rangers and Kahva the results of his scans of the records at the carnival. Each one of the Rangers tensed as they saw the dark magic chase them, much as Zimmer's spell threads had pursued Sheena. As for the Silver Ranger herself, a soft, low growl started to emerge from her throat, but then stopped, a quiet, thoughtful look on her face taking its place instead. 

The other Rangers were not quite as calm, however. "If she knew something was wrong with us, then why didn't she tell us?" Adam demanded, as they all focused their attention on Alpha and Zordon, not noticing Sheena as she seemed to simply stare at the readouts of Alpha's scans. "We should have been told!" the Green Ranger shouted angrily. "If we had gone into the trials knowing we had handicaps -" 

"The trials would have been for naught," Sheena said, her voice taking an odd, slightly otherworldly tone. 

"What do you mean?" Tanya asked. "If we had been told before the trials started, we wouldn't have doubted Kahva so much, or at least we could have fought it better -" 

"And you would have risked questioning your own judgement at times when you may have been right to doubt her, or anyone else, for that matter," Sheena continued, her voice getting softer, her tone becoming more and more ethereal. "No, once on the planet, you had to face the trials as you were for them to be true trials. To overcome not only the truth you hide from yourself, but also the truth another wishes you not to see, is one of the greatest challenges of all, although the truth you hide from yourself will always be the hardest trial to face, triumph over, and more importantly, learn from. Had the prior Keeper tried to remove the dark threads from you once you were on the planet for the trials, the trials themselves would have been compromised, and this vessel before you, this one you call Sheena, would have been lost forever. We could have been lost to the future as well, for rarely can someone be found worthy to take the trials more than once." 

Billy cautiously stepped towards his wife, at first reaching out to her, then thinking better of it for the moment. "You mean, if the threads had been removed on the planet, we would have possibly been facing the trials as -" Billy stopped, trying to find the right words, then said, "not quite our true selves?" 

"But we weren't our true selves if we all had dark threads on us!" Tanya protested. "It wasn't fair to make us face them like that, and especially not to even warn us!" 

"Not all were tainted," Sheena continued in her odd tone. "True, had _all_ of your number been tainted by the dark threads, then the trial would have to have been delayed, perhaps cancelled altogether. To remove the dark threads of doubting magic cast upon you would have required us to become involved directly, which is not against the rules. But," Sheena paused, as first her eyes, then face slowly began to glow softly, "to take the trials right after that would have been cosmically unfair. You would have been touched by us too soon, and given an unfair advantage in your trials, which would have tainted them. You would not have faced your own truths fairly, and therefore not have truly learned anything. To face your own truth is hard, to admit to it, even harder. But to truly learn from it, and grow in the knowledge of your truest self, is the hardest trial of all. That is where so many others before you have failed. Those chosen for the trials this day were the best candidates we have seen for countless years. To risk condemning you all to possible failure, to risk costing you all this one who guards us now. such risks in the past have always been unacceptable. In the past several hours you have all persevered through, that risk was even more unacceptable. We may have survived until suitable candidates for the trials, and for a new Keeper to have been born, and matured enough to take the trials, claim us. but the universe as it is known now may have not survived long enough for those possible worthy few. Earth Power Zeo Rangers, Kahva Briton. the universe needs you all too badly to have risked losing any one of your number in the here and now." 

No one, not even Zordon, knew what to say to that grave prophecy. "Lord Trey of Triforia, David Trueheart," Sheena's voice came again, "you are also needed by the universe, just like the Aquitian Rangers and Prince Dex of Edenoi, though your individual callings are not exactly like the callings of the questors and the Keeper who stand before you now. Time is not our province, and the future is always in motion, as it must ever be. but we have been shown slivers of visions of the future throughout our long existence. Though we cannot say for a fact of things that will or will not happen, we can say this: each of you here is needed greatly in the battle for light, good and justice. To do anything that would have risked losing even one of you, would have been a travesty not only of our long standing rules of the trials, but a true tragedy for this universe, possibly others as well. To feel like you were unfairly handicapped in your quest is true, for you were, thanks to Zimmer's evil. But unfortunately, it was necessary to let the handicap exist. It was a trial in and of its own self, though not one of our designing." 

Sheena's entire body was glowing at this point, an intimidating sight to behold. No one felt frightened, though, as there was a warmth and comfort to the glow. _The light of truth?_ Tommy found himself wondering. A quick glance at the others proved he wasn't the only one being so effected by what they were all witnessing. Then a bolt of understanding shot through him, as he fully realized who and what was talking to them. _It's the Crystal itself! It's. . .sentient!_ he mentally exclaimed, not daring to believe the evidence before him, but knowing in his soul it was true. _Is that how it was able to get inside our hearts and minds so well?_

"To have passed not only the trials of the Quest," Sheena's still-odd voice broke into all their thoughts, "but to have learned on your own how to circumvent the obstacles placed in your way by evil is a feat unparalleled. Now, however, it is time to remove the evil threads from those who have been tainted, for if left upon you for too long, they will strengthen of their own accord, and all you have learned will be lost, and so will you yourselves be lost. Not only to the side of good and light, but also to your own selves. That cannot, and will not, be allowed to happen." 

Sheena's gaze rested upon them all in turn, quickly moving from the Treys and David to the Rangers and Kahva. As their turn came, each one felt as though she, or the Crystal, or perhaps both were looking into their very souls. Every one of them shivered involuntarily as Sheena's gaze moved from them. Jason and Rocky were the first of the Rangers to be gazed upon, then Billy. Each young man was left slightly pale by the experience, but quickly recovered, anxiously staring at the next person Sheena was heading for: Kahva. 

"You have not been tainted by the dark threads of doubt," Sheena's voice came at last, after what had seemed like an unbearably loud and long silence. "But you were hurt deeply by them nonetheless. You know deep within your heart without our showing you that it was not your fault the events at the carnival happened, but the next step, we cannot help you with: accepting it was not your fault. Only you can do that." 

Leaving a trembling Kahva behind, Sheena turned to Tanya, Adam, Kat and Tommy, staring at each in turn, then motioning for them to step towards her. "You are the ones who have been touched by the darkness, and must be brought back from the shadows of doubt to the light of trust. You all saw the power of truth when you gazed into our light on Phaedos. Now, you must be touched by it to be freed." Before anyone could move or say a single word, Sheena touched Tanya's forehead, and the light surrounding the Silver Ranger's body instantly concentrated itself to just her hand, the brightness of the glow almost blinding in this state. In the next instant, the light flowed into Tanya, and the Yellow Ranger herself began to glow, much like Sheena had in Zimmer's palace when she had stared into the Crystal of Truth. 

"Look!" David exclaimed, pointing in awe and just a tiny bit of fear at the Yellow Ranger. "You can see them!" 

Tiny lines, though few in their number, were lighting up all around Tanya, all of them gathered around either her head or over her heart. One by on, in rapid succession, they all caught fire, and were burned away, just as the threads in the net of the fascination spell around Sheena had been destroyed. The process was repeated on Adam next, then Kat, and finally Tommy, who seemed to have the most strands hanging about him, the only difference being that some of those threads seemed almost limp, in comparison to the ones that had surrounded the Pink, Green and Yellow Rangers. "You are strong, Red Ranger," Sheena's voice congratulated him. "You were the most severely handicapped by the threads, yet your inner strength gave you the power to actually defeat some of them. That is something that should be impossible, according to all evil wizards who dare to cast such a spell as this. Your strength, and that of those around you, only proves what we knew to be true: you are all needed here to fight for the light and truth." 

Stepping away from the now freed, though shaken Rangers, Sheena removed her necklace and stared at it intently, then concentrated all of her attention upon it. "He who would have taken this vessel used this gift of honor to taint her. His evil shall be removed from it so that he cannot any connection left with her." The glow wrapped around the pendant quickly, and a dark shadow was lifted from the pendant moments later, then destroyed. "Rest well, defenders of truth and good," Sheena's voice spoke again, putting the necklace back around her neck, even as the glow rapidly began to fade into her body. "You have all earned it." 

No one dared to speak or move for nearly a full minute after the glow disappeared, for all had been stunned by the indescribable experience. Then, as if coming abruptly out of a dream, Alpha jumped and squeaked, badly startling everyone but Sheena. After grabbing a few small scanners, the little robot rapidly scanned the Silver Ranger to determine if there were any side effects from the Crystal being within her, or from the manifestation they had all witnessed. "I feel fine, Alpha," she smiled as he waved one of his devices over her. "Better than I've felt in a long time. The Crystal isn't hurting me, and I can take it out any time I want to, just like the Silver Crystal. See?" 

She held out one hand, and the Crystal glittered on her palm for a moment before vanishing back within her body. "But I think I won't let it stay outside of my body, at least not at this time. It's in my trust now, and I think the safest place for it is within me for the time being. Dulcea was able to keep it safe out in the open because she lived on an isolated planet. I live right in the middle of Angel Grove, thought, and I can't, I won't risk anyone stealing this. Earning it from me is one thing... stealing is something I won't let happen." 

VERY WELL, SHEENA, Zordon replied, nodding his approval and acceptance of her decision. MY DEAR FRIENDS, DAUGHTER, he started, resting his eyes upon Kahva as he said that, ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF STRESS THE LAST FEW DAYS. PLEASE, RETURN TO YOUR HOMES AND TAKE YOUR HARD FOUGHT FOR AND WELL-DESERVED REST. MONDO SHOULD NOT ATTACK FOR SOME TIME, I BELIEVE. AFTER THIS SERIOUS ASSAULT, HE WILL NEED TO REGROUP HIS FORCES AND THAT SHOULD TAKE QUITE SOME TIME. 

"He's right," Adam agreed, wrapping an arm about Tanya's waist. "Let's all go home and get some sleep." 

In tired little bunches, everyone teleported out to the parking lot of the carnival, where their cars had been left, except for the Treys, who went straight home to Triforia, and David, who was sent directly to the reservation. Kahva slowly made her way down to her room after they had all left, too tired to even think right then, as the shock of everything that had happened crashed down on her. It had been a very, very, _very_ long pair of days.

* * *

"Almost home!" Rocky shouted as the Rangers teleported into the parking lot of the carnival, well out of sight of curious eyes. As they all walked together towards their various cars, Billy suddenly started to laugh. "Hey, I've not done anything yet, what's so funny, Billy-boy?" 

"It's not you, Rocky," Billy chuckled. "It's Sheena and me." Arching an amused eyebrow at his newly freed wife, he grinned, "We ran over here from the park, our car is still over there." 

"That's right!" Sheena exclaimed softly, then blushed as the memory of their afternoon together vividly played back in her mind. "I guess we, umm, got a little distracted. My pocketbook!" she yelled, clapping a hand over her mouth. "_That_'s where I left it, I locked it up in the trunk of my car! Oh man, Kahva's birthday present from Daniel is still in my pocketbook! I am such a dolt!" she groaned. "I don't know who's gonna kill me worse, Kahva or Daniel, for forgetting it!" Sheena berated herself, slapping her forehead repeatedly with her hand. 

"They'll both forgive you, sweetie," Billy assured her, catching her hands and planting a soft kiss upon her lips. "As Kahva well knows," he whispered in her ear, brushing her cheek tenderly with his lips, "we sort of had other things on our minds in the park." 

Sheena only blushed all the more, then giggled. "Can we hitch a ride with you and Tanya, Adam? Since you're going to be heading down that way, by the park?" 

"Sure!" Adam grinned, then pulled Tanya into his arms suddenly, kissing her passionately, holding her close in spite of her playful struggles. Releasing her from the kiss, but not his hug, he laughed, "I just hope you won't mind if we relegate you both to the back seat. Tanya's sitting up front with me." 

"Oh, I am, am I?" the dark-skinned beauty questioned him sharply, hands on hips as she neatly spun out of his hold. "What makes you think I want to sit up front with you?" she asked, an impish smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

"Easier to kiss me? Please?" 

Tanya pretended to mull the thought over for a little while, as one by one, all of the other Rangers started giggling, then completely cracked up as Adam used his best 'puppy-dog eyes' look on his girlfriend. At last he ended up on his knees, as if begging her to say yes, while everyone else gasped for breath between peals of laughter. "Oh, all right!" she sighed exaggeratedly, giving the Green Ranger a sweet smile. Petting his head like a puppy, she softly, but firmly informed him, "If you are a good little boy, I'll sit up front with you." 

"Yes ma'am!" Adam yelped, hopping up to his feet quickly, stealing a quick kiss before going to his Tracker and opening the door gallantly. "Ladies first! You can get your own door, Billy." 

"Oh gee, thanks. Just because I'm not a woman." his friend teased back. 

"Ugh!" Rocky groaned teasingly. "I was going to ask Adam for a ride to my place, since I gave Lisa my car keys to drive herself home, but there's no way I'm gonna ride with those love-sick, mushy people! Jase, can I catch a ride with you? Tommy and Kat are bound to be no better!" 

"Sure," Jason smiled. "Hop on in, I'll save you from the love-struck masses." 

More good-natured teasing flew back and forth between the vehicles as Adam and Jason drove away with their friends, leaving only Tommy and Kat in the parking lot, leaning against Tommy's red Tracker. "I guess this means it's time for us to go," the Red Ranger said finally, absently fingering his car keys with one hand, holding Kat's with the other. 

"I guess so," Kat replied softly, but she didn't make a move to get into her boyfriend's vehicle. 

Tommy looked into her face, a puzzled expression crossing his own face. "Something wrong?" 

"Yeah. How come we're the only couple who've not gotten in a solid lip-lock in the past several hours?" 

"Wh-wh-what!" Tommy stammered. 

"By my count," Kat stated quite seriously, "I only got one kiss from you on this little adventure, and that was only on my cheek. After you kissed Kahva on the cheek, if my memory serves," she said with an arched eyebrow and hands firmly on her hips. The little smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth told Tommy she wasn't mad or jealous, but that she was definitely up to something. "If Tanya and Sheena can get some serious lip-lock from their beaus, then why haven't I gotten some, Mr. Oliver?" 

"Are you jealous because I kissed Kahva first?" the Red Ranger teased. "You're beautiful when your eyes flash like that, you know," the young man joked, playing along with the spirit of her tone. 

"Of course not!" Kat exclaimed, stamping her foot in frustration. "And don't you go and try to change the subject with backhanded compliments like that, Mr. Thomas Oliver!" Then her mood became clearly as impish as Tommy had suspected it was, as Kat practically purred, "I just think that your girlfriend should get something more than just a peck on the cheek. So I am jealous. I'm jealous that I'm that I'm the only girlfriend in the couples who were just here that hasn't gotten a serious kiss from her man." 

"You mean, something like this?" Tommy whispered, brushing her lips with a tender, loving kiss, emboldened by her impish mood. 

"Mmm. Not exactly," she answered softly, an almost predatory look crossing her features. Before he quite realized what she was doing, Tommy found himself being backed up slowly against his Tracker, until his back was pressed against the door. 

"Umm, Kat?" he asked, a slight crack in his voice betraying his nervousness. "Kat?" 

"Now then," she continued, placing one hand to his right on the Tracker, then slowly putting the other to Tommy's left, gently imprisoning him between her arms, "Tommy, does this remind you of anything from the past several hours? Say, as in back on Phaedos?" 

Tommy gulped, trying to keep his calm and wits about himself. _ Kat isn't normally this forward, what is she doing?_ "Umm, if I was on the ground, I - I'd have to say, when we first arrived there, when you pretty much landed on me." 

"Mmm hmm," his girlfriend practically purred, moving ever closer to his trembling body. "And this?" she asked, her lips temptingly close to his own. 

"We weren't this close together," Tommy whispered huskily, Kat's nearness sending him into a fit of nervousness and excitement combined, "but back on Phaedos, I think this is when Rocky said we were thirty seconds to lip-lock." 

"Very good," Kat whispered, her lips almost brushing his. "But we're not thirty seconds to lip-lock." 

"We're not?" Tommy asked, completely confused by the beautiful blonde who had him totally at her mercy. 

"Nope. We're one second away. Time's up," was all the warning the Red Ranger got before Kat planted a fiery, passionate kiss on his lips, powered by an intensity that he'd only dreamed they would ever reach before. As she continued the kiss, his breath was taken away, and Tommy was too stunned, too overwhelmed to do anything but let the seemingly endless moment continue. knowing in the same moment that he didn't want it to end, not ever. 

Finally, Kat ended the passionate kiss, pulling away from him just a bit. "Your turn," she smiled, still almost purring. "Too late," she said a heartbeat later, pulling the bewildered Tommy into another passionate, burning kiss. 

It took a few seconds, but Tommy was able to recover this time, and began to return the kiss with the same wondrous passion his girlfriend was bestowing upon him, every nerve in his body on fire. On fire, not just with heated passion, but a flaming love for this incredible woman than ran even deeper than he had ever realized. _Kat. . . Kat. . ._

Neither one of them knew how long the second kiss lasted, but when it finally ended, Tommy was very glad he'd been backed up against his Tracker, because the vehicle was the only thing keeping him upright. "Oh wow, Kat." he breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath, hoping desperately that his now rubbery knees didn't completely give way on him. "Kat, that was. . ." 

The Aussie merely smiled lovingly at him, placing a finger upon his lips. "That's more like it," she said, an impish grin crossing her beautiful features. "I've been waiting for you to kiss me for far too long this day. But, I think we'd better stop it right here, before this goes further than either of us are ready for right now." 

"Good idea," Tommy gasped, still quite breathless from the kisses. "Oh God, Kat. That was _incredible!"_

"You're welcome," she giggled, taking her hands away from either side of him at last, then standing before him, arms folded loosely, seeming quite satisfied with herself, and the effects of her kiss. 

"K-Kat," Tommy breathed, leaning fully on his Tracker for support, "I think Sheena may have been right about what she said yesterday." Taking a deep breath, then chuckling, he continued, "I'm going to have to learn how to block certain things if the links get stronger! Whoo boy! That was some _kiss!"_

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kat chuckled at first, then frowned slightly, a troubled look crossing her face. "Tommy? Can you sense them at all right now?" 

"Sheena and Billy? Yes, I think I can, and they seem to be all right, but things are little fuzzy. Then again, that's normal for me," Tommy told her. 

"Things are bound to be a bit strained between them for a little while, Sheena's blaming herself for falling under Zimmer's spell, I'm sure of that," Kat said distractedly. She bit her lip, as if debating with herself about whether or not to say what was bothering her. "I - I. . .I was actually wondering more about Kahva. Tommy. We all had agreed last night that we would ask Kahva once we got back what really happened between her and the clone at the carnival -" 

"But with first the fight, then all of us being so on edge once back at the Power Chamber, then Sheena with the Crystal. Yeah, we all forgot," Tommy finished for her softly. Pulling Kat into a warm embrace, he murmured, "I can't sense Kahva right now, I think she has her block up. It's so hard for me sense her normally though, I'm never really sure when she's blocking and when she's not, though. Except when she's really upset, and not blocking. Then I can pick up on her better." 

Kat muttered a soft curse at herself under her breath, then pulled Tommy closer, seeking comfort in his arms. "Tommy, we shouldn't have forgotten! We all saw how frightened she was at the carnival, we all woke up because of her screams last night -" 

"We can't force her to tell us, though," Tommy reminded his girlfriend gently. "Besides, Billy said he would tell us if she didn't, remember? We can ask him. after he and Sheena have had some time to straighten things out. Like you said, things are going to be strained between them for a while. Sheena has to learn to trust in herself all over again, to not be afraid to listen to her heart." 

"Could you listen to your heart, could you trust it again if you had been through what she's been through? What if you thought that I'd told you to go away, that I didn't love you anymore? What if you had been told hurtful lies, like what Billy's clone told Sheena?" 

Tommy shivered ever so slightly, hugging Kat even tighter. "I hope that day never comes, Kat." Gently, he cradled her face in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I came too close to losing you forever today." 

Kat nodded, closing her eyes, drawing as much comfort from Tommy's touch as possible. The events of the past several hours raced around in her mind once again, the vivid, disturbing images whirling wildly about. "We all nearly lost so much. Tommy. I'm pretty sure Tanya and Adam, and you and I are going to be all right. I think we've all been drawn closer together because of everything that's happened. I also think, that if given enough time, and if she'll learn not to blame herself for what happened, Sheena and Billy will be okay too." Sighing and pulling away from Tommy a little, the Pink Ranger continued, "Jason and Emily. I'm sorry, but if she can't get her act together, then as much as I hate to say it, I think Jason will be better off without her. Rocky, on the other hand," she smiled, allowing herself a small chuckle, "I think he's part duck, trouble just seems to roll right off of his back." 

A small frown crossed her face just then, marring her features a little. "Kahva, though. Tommy, I just can't shake the feeling that if we can't get her to talk to us about what happened, she'll never be completely all right. With everything that's happened over the past few months, it seems like she's getting quieter and more withdrawn around us. After whatever happened today, I'm not sure when, or even _if_ we'll ever see again the Kahva we were getting to know shortly after she settled down in this dimension." 

"I know," Tommy agreed somberly. "But still, we can't force her to talk to us. If she feels like we're ganging up on her, we'll do more harm than good, I'm afraid." Tommy tenderly caressed Kat's cheek, smiling at her. "Give her some time." 

The beautiful young blonde woman nodded, hoping Tommy was right. A silence settled down on them heavily, neither one of them quite knowing what to say next. After nearly three minutes, Kat finally broke the stillness. "So what do we do now?" 

"We wait. Everything is going to take time, whether we like it or not," Tommy replied. Suddenly he chuckled, fingering his long since forgotten car keys. Somehow, he'd kept hold of them the whole time, though he didn't remember doing it. "As for us right now, time is something we're running out of. I did promise your parents I'd have you back by tonight after we all got back from our 'trip', remember?" 

"Oh my gosh!" Kat gasped. She had completely forgotten the promise made to her mother and father. "We don't have much time, I've got to get home, or I'll never hear the end of it!" 

"Neither will I," Tommy laughed, still leaning heavily on the Tracker, unmoving. "Kat?" 

"Yes?" 

"Umm. Can you drive to your house?" he asked rather sheepishly, a faint blush starting to color his face. 

"Sure Tommy, but why?" she asked, even as she neatly caught the keys he gently tossed her. 

"Umm. I still can't stand too well right now, and." Tommy's blush flared full force, and the Red Ranger was very red indeed, living up rather well to his Ranger color. "I don't trust my legs yet for walking, much less driving!" he admitted in a rush. 

"Did my kiss leave you _that_ shell-shocked?" Kat giggled, embarrassing Tommy further by helping him into the front passenger seat. 

"Yes. _Both_ of them did," Tommy told her. "I'm glad you trapped me against the Tracker, that was the only thing keeping me standing!" 

"Good," Kat purred into his ear, sending a shiver racing up and down her boyfriend's spine. "They were meant to." The Aussie couldn't resist skipping a bit as she rounded the back of the Tracker, a grin covering her face from ear to ear. She stopped for just a second, behind the rear mounted spare tire where Tommy couldn't see her, and gave in to the urge to pump her fist in triumph. 

_YES! _

* * *

"Think they'll all be able to keep their hands off of each other long enough to make it home safely?" Rocky joked, as he and Jason drove away from the carnival parking lot. Adam, Tanya, Billy and Sheena were driving off in the other direction in Adam's green Tracker, while it looked like Tommy and Kat were taking the time to talk over by his vehicle. 

"I think so," Jason smiled faintly, forcing a small chuckle. 

The Blue Ranger was about to crack another joke when he caught the tightness of Jason's forced smile, and the strain in Jason's short answer fully sank in. _Me and my big mouth! I am such an idiot sometimes!_ "Sorry man," Rocky apologized, slapping his forehead. "I'm sorry, I totally forgot you and Emily. I'm such a dolt sometimes." 

"It's okay Roc, really," Jason assured him. "As much as I love her, I have to face the fact that she may not love me anymore. Right now, I'm not sure if she ever truly did." 

"But she wanted to go out with you so badly, she had to have loved you!" Rocky protested. Trying to lighten the mood, he added, "Heck, if I were a girl, and I thought I had a chance with you, I'd want to date you." 

"Would you like to go out next Saturday night?" Jason half-heartedly teased. 

"Can't make it, take a raincheck?" 

"You are such a tease." 

Rocky laughed, glad to see his friend and teammate joking around again, even if his heart wasn't completely into it. "Jase, I'm not exactly the best person to ask about keeping a steady girlfriend, but. Maybe you should give Emily another chance." At Jason's surprised expression, Rocky quickly said, "I know that right now her name is mud, and I certainly don't like the way she's treated you, but. I can remember when you guys were really happy, you know?" Jason's sigh a few seconds later told Rocky that Jason not only remembered all too well the love he and Emily had shared, he still felt it, even after everything that had happened. "Jason, if you don't give this thing one last try, you'll kick yourself forever, wondering if you gave up too easily. Give her a day or two to cool off, and then try to talk to her one more time." 

Jason mulled it all over, he'd already almost decided to give Emily one more chance even before Rocky had suggested it. "I did promise to talk with her, to try and get things cleared up." The next few minutes went by in silence as Jason wrestled with what his final decision should be. Sighing as he reached Rocky's home, he spoke again at last. "I'll talk to her in a couple of days, after she's had time to calm down, and I'm willing to give her one more chance. I still love her Rocky. Even after everything she's done, I believe I'm still in love with her." 

"Then that settles it," Rocky said, starting to get out of the car. "You'll never know for sure until you talk to her." 

"Just like you'll never know about Kim. If you don't talk to her." 

Rocky simply stared at the ground for a few seconds, wordlessly nodding his head. "Yup, that's one promise I'm going to keep, don't worry about that." The Blue Ranger closed the door, then almost as an afterthought, leaned back in through the open passenger window before Jason could start to back out of the driveway. "You need to call her too. Which of us should call first?" 

Jason looked at the rapidly setting sun, then grinned slightly back as his teammate. "My call won't take long, think you can wait for about an hour?" 

Four hours later, Rocky was still pacing back and forth in his bedroom, trying to figure out just what he was going to say to the former Pink Ranger. He'd come up with dozens of opening lines and stories, and had dismissed them all as far too corny, even for him. With the hour getting later and later, he finally started to get ready for bed, figuring that the hour was too late to call by that point. 

"I'll call her in the morning, first thing," he told himself, turning down the covers on his bed. The sudden jangling of the phone on his bedside table in the next moment nearly sent him through the ceiling. Clutching his racing heart, he picked up the receiver before it could ring again. "Jase, what are you trying to do, give me heart failure? Before you ask, I've not -" 

"I'm not Jason. But he did tell me you wanted to talk." 

Rocky could feel the blood racing through his veins, heating his face, his hands suddenly very sweaty. His heart was pulsing so hard and so fast, he expected to see it jump out of his chest and fly about the room. "K-K-Kim?" _Oh man, I hope I can do this._ "H-Hi. Kim? I need to. tell you something."

* * *

"I never thought I'd see this place again," Sheena said quietly, sitting on her side of the bed, quietly running a brush through her long flowing hair. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, keeping the steady rhythm, one stroke right after the other, slowly continuing her nighttime ritual. She and Billy hadn't come straight home after Tanya and Adam had dropped them off at their car; Sheena had simply felt too tense, too wound up to go home right then. For whatever reason, she hadn't been able to bear the thought of being in their cabin again, though she wanted to go home so desperately at the same time. Billy hadn't forced the issue, driving them all around Angel Grove, and even Stone Canyon for a few hours, neither of them saying much at all. _ He is too good to me._ "You know, for a while I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it... well, Zimmer made sure I didn't want to. But deep inside, I knew I always wanted to. No matter how much it hurt to think about it then, I knew I had to." 

_She's still so tense, so upset over everything, but none of it is her fault! How do I help her see that, truly believe it? How do I ease her guilt and pain? _ Billy watched as his wife continued to brush out her luxurious mane of hair, something that he longed to do for her at that moment. _Heaven help me, I'm afraid to hold my own wife! I don't know how she'll react._ He had stopped only once in their drive, at one of their favorite spots. Together, they had watched the sunset, both trying to put their unease aside. _She looked so glorious in the fading light,_he thought to himself, picturing her sitting there again, crimson and orange light bathing her face, a gentle breeze toying with her hair. Billy had complimented her on how beautiful she looked in the setting sun's light, but his words had fallen on deaf ears; Sheena had simply stared at the horizon until the brilliant sun sank completely from their view. They had left silently, windows rolled down in the car, as if the wind could swirl in and blow all their troubles away. Now, in the safety of their own home, it seemed more like they were very friendly strangers, rather than man and wife. _ I can't lose her. Dear Lord, please help me do the right thing. Please let me find the right words to comfort her, to let her know that I still love her. _Billy dared at last to still his wife's hands, taking the brush from her and doing the task himself as he so often did. _Please don't let her run away from me, please God,_ Billy prayed. 

Sheena jumped slightly at first at her husband's soft touch, but Billy's gentle strokes soon relaxed her, her taut shoulders finally slumping as she gave in to the rhythm. Billy stopped a few minutes later, putting the brush on their nightstand, then slowly, he gingerly wrapped his arms around her, holding her with all of his deep strength and love. "For a while there, I was afraid I'd never see you again. Sheena, I was scared to death that I had lost you forever. While Zimmer was holding me in that pocket dimension of his, what kept me going was hoping that somehow, some way, I could escape and save you from him. Or that somehow, you could break free of him and save me. I tried so many times to touch you through our link." Billy shuddered as the images of his imprisonment played back in his mind, chilling him to the bone. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Sheena. You are my love, my heart, my soulmate." 

"I'm so sorry." Sheena had forgotten already how many times she'd said that since her rescue. "Billy, I'm so sorry, I wish I'd never met him!" Sheena's eyes were shining with the need to cry her heart out, to bare her soul to her husband, her soulmate. but even now, in the privacy of their own home, she couldn't let herself do it. _I can't lose control, I just can't! But all I want to do right now is cry like a baby and let Billy tell me everything will be all right! Sweet Goddess, what is wrong with me? _ "I wish I'd never seen him." 

Billy hugged his wife slowly closer, sending all of his love to her through their link, mentally embracing her with it, trying to push aside her guilt and pain for the events she'd not been able to control nor stop. "In a way, I'm glad you did meet him," he said, gently placing a finger on her lips when she tried to protest. "Because now we both know there's nothing that can come between us, nothing and no one. Zimmer tried it, and he failed. Just like everyone else will fail who dares to try and tear us apart." 

For what could have been an eternity, or merely a heartbeat, they sat together on the bed, Billy holding his wife, with all of the love in his being flowing to her. At last she finally relaxed, sinking into his hold, her love for him flowing back to him through their link, the warmth of their love enfolding them both into its own embrace. It was all Billy could do not to sob in relief as he could finally touch his wife completely again; mind, body, heart and soul. "I love you, Sheena." he murmured into her ear, his lips lightly brushing her cheek. "Never forget how much I love you, and always will." Billy kissed her lips softly, once, twice, and again, several times over, until Sheena trusted herself again to kiss him back the same way. "No one will ever be able to keep us apart. I swear it. I love you, Sheena. Till the day I die, and beyond." 

Sheena smiled, snuggling into the warmth and safety of his arms. "I love you too," she responded, breathing deeply of his wonderful scent, then yawned in spite of herself. "Sorry," she chuckled lightly. "Long day." She had wanted to talk with him more, to maybe talk some of what she was feeling out, but there was just too much that had happened to them both in the past couple of days. As badly as she needed to talk, she needed to rest even more. She pulled her hair back into its usual nighttime bun and settled down onto their bed, feeling the warmth of her beloved husband next to her as he pulled the covers over them both. "I love you," she whispered again, holding his hand as he pulled her close, and they started to drift off to sleep together. 

"Billy?" Sheena whispered a few minutes later, much-needed sleep seeming determined to elude her. "I." she started, just as the memory of the Hall of Mirrors played back in her mind._ Just make sure you've got the right Billy with you, I'm seeing about fifteen of them right now myself! And that one was a mirror! I love this place! One down, fourteen more Billys to go! Make sure you get the right one, Sheena! _came back Kahva's joking comments. _ As if I wouldn't know my own husband!_ Sheena had replied to her at the time. "Oh Goddess." she moaned softly, burying her face in the soft down pillows. 

"Sheena?" Billy asked, unsure of what could still be bothering his wife. then fully aware of it in an instant, as he sensed her thoughts and memories through their link. "Sheena, don't blame yourself for what he did, please. Don't let him win this battle by blaming yourself. Sheena," he said firmly, but tenderly, in a voice filled with limitless love. "I love you, for now, and for all eternity, and there is nothing that you have done wrong. With the spell Zimmer had on you, there is no way you could have known about the clone, trust me. I love you, I love you," he repeated over and over, determined to end her pain with his love. Gently kissing her, slowly, tenderly, he gradually showed her in the oldest way possible the depths of his love, nearly crying with joy as she at last forgave herself enough to respond in kind. _ We are, and always shall be together forever, forever together, until the end of all time. I love you. _echoed in both their minds, as the two of them at last became one again. neither of them feeling the pain of a carefully concealed aching heart, hiding on the porch just outside their bedroom window. 

They didn't see or sense the trembling figure watching them, nor did they see as it walked slowly off the porch and down towards the lake; body, heart and soul wracked with held back tears. _ How can they be so happy so soon! How dare they - he. . .God, WHY!_

"How do they get to be so happy and I don't! How come they get to be so _normal_, as if nothing has happened!" Kahva screamed to the skies when she was certain she was far enough away from the cabin as not to be overheard. "WHY!" Then she collapsed against a tree, shaking in fear of her own emotions. "Oh good Lord, what am I saying, what am I _feeling?_! They deserve to be happy. But he was so - no, that's wasn't Billy at the carnival, it was the clone, there's no way Billy could ever have done that to me." Kahva ran to the lake, stopping at the water's edge, completely unsure of what she should do, or was going to do. All she knew for sure was that she couldn't get the clone's face out of her mind, his touch off of her skin. _How on Earth can I angry at them for getting their lives back, am I insane! I have no right to feel hurt! Sheena is the one who was kidnapped, she's entitled to feel pain, not me! _ Kahva slowly started to wade out into the calm of the lake, still not sure of what was drawing her or why. Perhaps the stillness of the water was what she desired, the serenity of the waters that was so opposite of her emotions and current state of mind. Deeper and deeper she slowly waded, lost in the turbulence of her pain. _Because of me, because I didn't stand up strongly enough for what I knew was true when I should have, they came so close to not being with each other again. I don't deserve to be their friend, and yet they refuse to see how this is all my fault! I - I. I think I need to start keeping to myself more, I need to stay out of their way, all of them. They don't need me in the way. All I am is a bother to everyone, all I've done is either cause or get into trouble, most of the times, both. _Kahva looked down into the waters gently lapping at her legs, staring at her distorted, shadowy reflection visible upon the lake's surface in the pale moonlight. 

_Big girls don't cry,_that hated, feared voice from the past again, taunting her. "M-Ms. Caswell?" she asked hesitantly, trembling, looking all around her for the source of the voice, but finding no one out in the night save for herself. "Who's there?" 

_Kah-va, Kah-va, sounds like ca-ca! _

You're older than all of the rest of the children here, why don't you be quiet and grow up? 

Kah-va, Kah-va, sounds like ca-ca! 

Go to your dorm, and don't come out until you learn to not be a crybaby. 

"I wasn't a crybaby, I was a good girl!" Kahva sobbed softly, flailing at the air, trying to chase the voices away. "I was a good girl!" _But I want a Mommy and a Daddy too! Please, I want a Mommy and a Daddy, PLEASE! _ "I was a good girl, Ms. Caswell! A good girl!" 

_Be quiet and stop that silly crying! You'll scare off the adults who want good little children._

"I just wanted someone to love me, I just wanted a Mom and Dad! I _was_ a good girl!" 

_Stupid girl, stupid name, sounds like ca-ca! Who could want a girl named Kahva, sounds like ca-ca._

"Leave me alone!" Kahva wailed, thrashing in the water wildly, fighting off the demons from the past only she could hear. "Leave me alone!" 

_Ca-ca, ca-ca, ca-ca, ca-ca. _

You'll never get a home, Kahva. No one wants a crybaby. 

"Stop it! Leave me alone, please!" the distraught young woman shouted, then froze in the water, as a newer voice, one from a more recent memory came creeping into her troubled mind. 

_We're going to have a very long life together. and it starts once I get rid of my soon to be extremely ex-wife. _

P-please. St-st-stop... she had begged him, but only his master's summons had stopped his actions. "Leave me alone, leave me alone!" Kahva screamed again, then tripped over something in the lake bed, and crashed into the water completely. Seconds later she shot back up to the surface, sputtering and splashing madly, then abruptly calmed down and made her way back to dry land. Wandering mindlessly, Kahva eventually found her way to a small thicket and curled up in the middle of it. She was too tired to care if anyone had seen or heard her, though somehow she had managed to keep her mental block more or less sound and solid. _ It wasn't Billy at the carnival, it just looked, sounded like him. That wasn't Billy. _she kept telling herself over and over, knowing it to be the truth. Still, she was unable to shake the pain of seeing him so happy with Sheena, seeming from where she had watched them outside of their bedroom window to be as at ease with each other as if nothing had happened to anyone at all._ I don't deserve to feel hurt, I have no right to feel hurt, no right._ Kahva shivered in the light breeze that had sprung up, wrapped her arms around her legs, pressing her knees into her chest, refusing to let herself cry her heart out, denying herself release from the pain. _ I'm not worthy, I don't deserve to feel hurt, I have no right to feel hurt. Sheena and Billy are the only ones who truly deserve that, and the others too, but not me. I'm just a stupid girl. . .stupid crybaby. stupid. . .stupid. . ._

Back in the cabin, one single crystalline tear trickled down Sheena's cheek, as her heart responded to the grief of her sister. Had she been awake, she would have sensed Kahva's pain even through the block her soul-sister had so carefully constructed. Even though the block had been build so strong and high, her soul-sister's pain was great enough to ram tiny cracks through it. Sheena would have sensed the pain, or heard Kahva's screams and cries in the lake and rushed to her soul-sister's side, comforting her as best she knew how. But now that Kahva had hidden herself physically, forcing herself not to feel anything, those cracks were sealed tight, as if they had never existed to start with. Kahva was very clever and adept in hiding her heart when she needed or wanted to, and in burying her emotions where they wouldn't touch her, and in time, she could even forget she'd had them to start out with. 

Neither of them noticed the Other Presence watching over them. _Daughter of Mine, Kahva. Sleep. Sleep, dear ones, sleep, My Daughter, sleep, Kahva._ The Presence repeated the mantra softly, sending Sheena into a deeper, healing sleep, nudging Kahva's troubled mind gently to return to the Power Chamber for much needed slumber of her own. _ I wish so desperately that I could to do more, that I could open their eyes to the ache they each carry in their hearts, but My kind has been restricted from doing such things without being asked. And no one has asked Me. Not the one who believes in God instead of me, nor my own Daughter. I can help none of my Daughters and Sons who do not first ask Me for it. _

I can, however, guide all of the Rangers towards the sleep they need, and make certain that nightmares stay far away from these brave ones tonight. In the days and months to come, nightmares enough will haunt them all. But for now, My only gift can be deep sleep. Perhaps, for now, that will be enough. The One who Sheena knew as the Goddess sadly left those who had fought so hard that day to return to Her place where she saw all. _Only Time will tell. _

And Time will not tell Me, nor anyone else Its secrets... 

**To Be Continued**


End file.
